The police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested Christiana Ibanga and her boyfriend, Inyene Akpan, for allegedly trafficking their child and selling the baby for N450,000.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, January 29, at the command headquarters in Ikot-Akpanabia, Uyo, the state capital, the police spokesperson, DSP Timfon John, said the pair were apprehended after a tip-off from a woman (name withheld), who reported that Ibanga had lured her six-year-old daughter and taken her to an unknown location.
According to John, the woman from Afaha Atai Village, Ibesikpo Asutan LGA, filed a complaint on June 15, 2024, stating that Ibanga, from Ekamba Nsukara Village in Uyo LGA, had enticed her daughter and taken her away. Following the report, police launched an investigation and arrested Ibanga and Akpan on January 14, 2025, in Abuja.
During questioning, the suspects confessed to selling the child in May 2024 for N450,000 with the assistance of one Saviour Aniedi. Ibanga further revealed that she conspired with Aniedi and his wife to steal the child, who was later sold in Aba, Abia State, to an unknown buyer.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has since launched a manhunt in Aba to locate the buyer and rescue the child. “On January 23, 2025, our team expanded their search to Aba in pursuit of the buyer and the missing child. Although the suspects in Aba remain at large, we have made significant progress and expect their arrest soon,” DSP John said.
He also issued a warning to criminals in the state, urging them to either change their ways or face the full force of the law.
