Police in Delta State have arrested members of a syndicate, which specialised in the sales of babies through the sachet of water found in their bags. The state Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Muhammed Inuwa, disclosed this yesterday while parading five members of the syndicate at the state Police Command Headquarters, Asaba.

He said: “Through the sachet of water in their bags, my men were able to know where they were coming from and how they came about the two bouncing baby boys in their possession.” The commissioner disclosed that the suspects were shuttling between Akure in Ondo State and Onitsha in Anambra State.

Inuwa said the suspects had negotiated with one of their business partners in Onitsha, Mrs. Nkaneme Melife (37), who they described as a welfare-officer, to sell one of the babies for N1.2 million and the other for N800,000 before nemesis caught up with them while on their way back to Akure.

The commissioner said two women, Tolulope Bosede (45) and Komolafe Abiola (20), were intercepted while on transit with the babies in a commercial bus on the Benin-Asaba- Onitsha Expressway at Okpanam area.

The detectives suspected that Bosede tricked Abiola to Onitsha where she was delivered of one of the babies billed for sale. Inuwa said Abiola was made to understand that her baby boy that was sold for N800,000 died during child delivery and was buried immediately but the baby was sold by Nkaneme to another buyer, Mrs. Ekunno Ifeyinwa (56) of Onora family house at Abba village in Onitsha. He added: “Meanwhile, the two buyers have been arrested with one Josephine Unnuoha while the stolen child was recovered from her hideout. “Their arrest led to the recovery of another two weeks old baby boy, whose origin is unknown, but suspected to have been sold to the same Mrs. Ekunno Ifeyinwa.”

Abiola told journalists she lived at Ose, a neighbouring town to Akure, but little did she know that she was into child trafficking with other suspects. She said: “We live in the same house. They invited me to Onitsha to come and deliver my baby. After delivery, they told me that the baby died but I did not know they hid him and sold him out. It was after the arrest that I came to my senses.” The legal police officer (LPO) in the matter said the suspects refused to tell the detectives who arrested them at Kenny Ameni Petrol Station check-point where they were coming from, going to or how they came about the babies they were carrying until they searched their bags and read the label on the sachet water they were drinking.

“The detectives forced them to lead the team to where they were coming from with the babies. That was how they burst their escapade, leading to the arrest of two suspects, Nkaneme Melife and Ekunno Ifeyinwa, who are their welfare-officers and sponsors,” the commissioner added. (New Telegraph)

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