A Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced a couple to five years' imprisonment each for attempting to sell their one-year-old son for N800,000.
The convicts, Emmanuel Okechukwu Ogbodo, 28, and Peace Ufeabuchi Nnamonu, 22, were found guilty of conspiracy and attempted sale of their child, Godstime Ogbodo, for exploitation.
The case came to light after a prospective buyer, who was approached by the couple for the transaction, alerted the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
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Following the report, NAPTIP's Cross River State Command intervened, foiled the alleged transaction and arrested the couple.
The defendants were arraigned before the Federal High Court, Calabar Judicial Division, on November 3, 2026, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and attempted sale of a child.
The charges were brought under Sections 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges, which were filed on October 12, 2026.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, November 11, Justice Rosemary Dugbo Oghoghorie convicted the couple on both counts.
The judge sentenced each defendant to five years' imprisonment on the first count and two and a half years on the second count, with the sentences to run concurrently.
She further ordered that the jail terms should take effect from the dates of their arrest.
The convictions were secured by NAPTIP's Cross River State Command as part of efforts to combat human trafficking and child exploitation.
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