The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) arrested two women in Ekiti State yesterday.
The team of agency operatives arrested the suspects, One Ifeoma Ejide for allegedly selling a female baby to Mrs Funmilayo Ibitoye for the sum of N2 million in Ilupeju Ekiti, Oye local government area of the state.
Oladimeji Samson, the head of the NAPTIP Ekiti liaison office, told reporters in Ado Ekiti yesterday that the operation was carried out by a team led by Mr. Emuze John from NAPTIP headquarters and agency personnel in Ekiti State.
The arrest came after the team received a tip-off about the purported transaction. Ejide, accused of selling a three-month-old baby girl to Ibitoye for N2 million, admitted to being part of a wider network that ran a baby factory. However, Ibitoye denied the charges, claiming that she has had a long-standing relationship with Ejide for medical treatment related to childbirth for years.
The contradictory statements provided by the two primary suspects have added to the complexity of the case. Ibitoye, who was described as the buyer, denied any involvement in the transaction and cited her medical agreement with Ejide in Owo, Ondo State, for the delivery of her child outside the hospital. She went into detail about her financial dealings with Ejide, highlighting the medical care she got rather than outrightly buying a child.
This demonstrates how difficult it is for law enforcement to tell the difference between unorthodox medical care arrangements and unlawful child sales.
She further stated that the case of child sale and trafficking is very rampant and common in the state, stating that most of the baby buyers use herbs and they are told not to visit any hospital so that they can’t be tracked.
This case is connected to several other cases still under investigation.
