The Anambra State Government through the state Ministry of Women and Social Welfare and security operatives has apprehended three suspected human trafficking syndicates operating in Ifitedunu, Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state.
This was achieved on Wednesday, when the Chairman of the community, Arinzechukwu Azodo, notified the commissioner, Ify Obinabo.
Azodo said he was alerted by the commander of his team over a report of suspected trafficking taking place in the community and that he quickly informed the commissioner who told him to go ahead with the help of security operatives to apprehend the persons involved.
He explained that after the arrest, they discovered that the said suspects were about sealing a human trafficking deal worth a million naira.
On her part, one of the suspects who gave her name as Ebere from Ukpo in the same local government area of the state revealed that it was another of the suspects by the name Temple Nwankwo, a friend, who approached her one day informing her that she had a twin baby for sale although she had already sold one of the twins.
Ebere said, “I accepted to partner with her and went further to link her up to a prospective buyer who needed a male child urgently. After the negotiation, we agreed to meet at Oye Agu to further seal the transaction but instead, Temple requested an instant payment of N1m in her account which the buyer objected to because he hadn’t seen the baby in question which brought disagreement between us before he changed her mind and left them.”
On the alleged seller’s part, Temple Nwankwo from Enugu State, but resident at Ifitedunu, Ebere denied ever having to be in any type of business with him, but explained that she only reconnected with her when she was four months pregnant.
Temple in her defence said it was Ebere who asked for her help in getting a male child because she’d not been able to have a child of her own.
Temple in her confession said, “After Ebere made the request, I warned her never to involve me in such an act and since that day, Ebere has been coming to my house in my absence meeting my daughter even after several warnings to her.”
It was gathered from members of the community that Temple was allegedly into the trafficking business with her husband Ndubuisi, as an accomplice, because they had not seen some of her children for a very long time.
When the couple were interrogated on the whereabouts of their two kids, they claimed that they were dead, but when asked where they were buried, they could not provide any answer.
It was at this point that the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare Anambra, Ify Obinabo, who was visibly sad over the incident, handed them over to the police for investigation and prosecution.
Obinabo reiterated the state government’s resolve to end trafficking in the state and warned that anyone caught doing so won’t be spared.
The Women Affairs boss further advised members of the public to always be vigilant and reach out to the ministry whenever they suspected anything around them.
