Police in Rivers detain a man for allegedly selling his three children

The father of the children who were sold into trafficking acknowledged doing so.

Michael Charles, also known as Thankgod Ekwueme, was detained by the Rivers State Police Command on suspicion of selling his three children.

This comes after the Command dismantled a state-wide child trafficking organisation.

According to Grace Iringe-Koko, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, a number of suspects engaged in the selling of children in the state were apprehended by the suspects within the Old GRA Police Station, Head Office of the CP Monitoring Unit, who were responsible for the breakthrough.

The father of the trafficking children, Charles, one of the suspects displayed, acknowledged to selling the children and justified his actions by citing his incapacity to care for the kids and his poverty.

Two more people implicated in the scheme include a doctor and a former council member.

The mother Janet Igwe of Umudiogo, Emohua Local Government Area of the state, who is deaf and dumb, spoke on behalf of the mother of the trafficked children and said her son-in-law has been selling the children born to her daughter while claiming the children died at birth.

The statement by the police said, “Operatives attached to the CP Monitoring Unit on Saturday, July 8, 2023, at about 5.00pm, based on the revelation of two suspects earlier arrested in a case of child trafficking, extended the investigation to Omudiaga in Emohua LGA of Rivers State and Ogbaku in Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State where they arrested the duo of Ndubuisi Egbueri ‘M, and Ndubuisi Wosa ‘M,’ at Omudiaga, and one Chioma Anele ‘F at Ogbaku. The babies were given to Ndubuisi Egbueri and Ndubuisi Wosa, who later gave them to Hon. Regina Aki ‘F at Rukpokwu in Port Harcourt. Both Ndubuisi Egbueri and Ndubuisi Wosa admitted to receiving one of the babies. The infant was sold in front of Michael Charles, the baby’s father, at Aluu, according to Hon. Regina Aki, who confessed to meeting with one Favour Amaewhule ‘F there.

“Favour Amaewhule ‘F’ was subsequently detained and confessed to purchasing the infant for N700,000. He also acknowledged paying N350,000 to the infant’s father, Michael Charles, and N350,000 to Hon. Regina Aki and associates.

“However, the baby purchased by Favour Amaewhule has been found, and the investigation is moving forward at full speed in an effort to locate the other babies acquired by Chioma Anele ‘F.’” There are now seven (7) suspects in detention.