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An Investigating Police Officer (IPO), ASP Desmond Apella, has told a Federal Capital Terrritory, FCT, High Court that stolen children were recovered from a couple charged with child trafficking.<\/p>\n

Apella was testifying as the third prosecution witness (PW3) before Justice Peter Kekemeke in a case of alleged trafficking in children preferred against Ifeoma Abonyi, 32, and Emmanuel Onyekwere, 32.<\/p>\n

The police\u00a0charged the duo with conspiracy and child trafficking.<\/p>\n

The offences, the police said, are contrary to sections 30(3) 97 and 273 of the Penal Code.<\/p>\n

Apella told the court that he was on the team that investigated the matter.<\/p>\n

He said that in November 2019, a man, Thomas Olobo, wrote a petition to the Inspector-General of Police over the disappearance of his 17-month-old child.<\/p>\n

The witness said during investigation, the complainant told the police that the defendants, who are his neighbours, asked if the baby could accompany them to the market.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe complainant granted the request and the first defendant took the child.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey never returned the baby and the second defendant who claimed to be the first defendant\u2019s husband equally disappeared,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The witness told the court that the police later traced the defendants to Ibusa, Delta State, where they were arrested.<\/p>\n

He said the investigation revealed that the defendants were operating a syndicate on child trafficking.<\/p>\n

\u201dWe found out that the defendants had sold the baby to someone in Aba.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe rescued the baby and reunited her with her parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also discovered that this is what they do. We also rescued six other children from them,\u201d he told the court.<\/p>\n

NAN reports that Abonyi was reported to have absconded leaving the 2nd defendant to face the matter alone.<\/p>\n

The second defendant did not have legal representative.<\/p>\n

Justice Kekemeke therefore promised that the court would contact the Legal Aid Council to get a lawyer for the defendant.<\/p>\n

He then adjourned the matter until March 19, for cross examination of PW3 and possible continuation of the trial.<\/p>\n

Alleged child trafficking: Policeman narrates how stolen children were recovered from couple<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Investigating Police Officer (IPO), ASP Desmond Apella, has told a Federal Capital Terrritory, FCT, High Court that stolen children…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9430,384,15],"tags":[272,7390,387,180,6781],"class_list":["post-13435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alleged-child-trafficking","category-metro","category-news","tag-alleged","tag-child","tag-metro","tag-news","tag-trafficking"],"yoast_head":"\n