The Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested Chinana Telpesa Solomon Tali for attempting to sell his 8-year-old son, Ushafa Tali, for N20 million. The accomplice, Pius Aondoakaa, was also apprehended. The suspects were paraded by the FCT Commandant, Olusola Odumosu, on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
Odumosu revealed that the command’s intelligence unit arrested the duo on January 10, 2024, for conspiring to trade Ushafa. Acting on a tip-off, the suspects were placed under surveillance. Aondoakaa, seeking a higher bid, rejected an offer of 12 million naira and insisted on 20 million naira for the “He-goat” (boy child), and 15 million naira for the “she-goat” (girl child). He claimed the father, Tali, intended to use the proceeds to care for his other children.
Posing as a buyer, FCT Intelligence Personnel lured Tali to Abuja on January 10, 2024, and agreed to the terms. The transaction was completed at a garden, where undercover officers arrested Tali and recovered Ushafa. Aondoakaa was arrested on January 12, 2024.
Odumosu handed over the suspects to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation and prosecution. The boy, Ushafa Tali, is set to be reunited with his mother.
In a statement to journalists, Tali claimed economic hardship forced him into agreeing to sell his son for N20 million to support his other children. The NAPTIP representative, Oseafiana Chineyere, assured that the agency would conduct a thorough investigation, with positive results anticipated.
