Akpan was among six individuals accused of conspiring to abduct and sell a child, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, multiple times across different states in 2019.
The victim was initially sold in Abia State for N100,000 before being transferred to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where the price increased to N300,000 and subsequently N400,000.
The trafficking syndicate later moved the child to Abuja, where he was reportedly sold for N1 million.
Akpan was prosecuted alongside five other defendants who reportedly absconded after being granted bail, leaving him as the only accused person to face the full trial.
The case initially commenced in Itu before moving to Ibiono Ibom and eventually to Uyo, the state capital, where proceedings began afresh.
Delivering judgment, Justice Okon Okon held that the prosecution had successfully established its case against Akpan, finding him guilty of child stealing.
The court subsequently sentenced him to five years in prison, with the jail term taking effect from the date of judgment.
