A 38-year-old herbalist, Mr Chigozie Emmanuel, aka
Akuchi has been arrested for allegedly selling new born babies in Abuja.
Emmanuel was
arrested by operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of
Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP).
According to NAPTIP, Emmanuel, from Enugu State, is
the owner of Akuchi Herbal Concept, located at New Nyanya, Abuja.
NAPTIP said that the suspect was arrested “after weeks
of diligent surveillance by officers of the Agency and those of the Department
of State services.’’
NAPTIP noted: “Emmanuel deceived women into making
them think they were pregnant and thereafter, would give other people’s babies
to them, having collected lots of money. The arrest was based on a previous
arrest by the Nigerian Police, of a woman whom they saw with a baby in Abuja
enroute Minna, Niger State.
“Based on their suspicion, they detained and
questioned the woman on the identity of the baby she carried. She admitted to
being a patient of Emmanuel, whom she said administered some herbs to her after
years of infertility.
“She thereafter appeared pregnant and was cautioned
against going to the hospital for any medical treatment or ante-natal care.
“When it was time for her ‘delivery,’ Emmanuel
directed her to Port-Harcourt where a baby was handed over to her. She
confessed to paying Emmanuel the sum of N650, 000 for his services.’’
NAPTIP added that Emmanuel, who was arrested at the
weekend, “is helping in further investigations on sale of human beings and
child trafficking.’’
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah-Donli
commended the Officers for their painstaking surveillance which culminated in
the arrest.
She further warned the public, especially women, to
stop patronizing such ‘herbalists,’ as the sale of babies is a crime punishable
by law.
The NAPTIP boss advised couples who wish to adopt a
child to go through the legal means of adoption.
According to her, some of the babies sold to these
women were abducted from their biological parents.
She called for more information from the public about
any such act or ‘maternity homes’ being run in their neighbourhood.
No comments:
Post a Comment