Edo Police Arrests Two for Selling Three Siblings in Rivers

Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested two men, Kenneth Ofeke and Stephen Obi, for allegedly selling three siblings for N500,000 in Portharcourt, Rivers State.

The siblings, two of which are twins, were given as Wisdom, Kenneth and Sunny. They were said to have been taken from Edo State and sold in Portharcourt to a woman who later resold them to other persons in Lagos.

The police are yet to determine whether the children are still alive.

Ofeke, aged 26, claimed that he led his supposed girlfriend to sell the children because they were unwell and he could not cater for them.

He told newsmen that he discussed sales of the children with their mother, who he claimed is his girlfriend.

According to him, “I am from Ebonyi State. We are from the same state. I have not paid her bride price. She gave birth to twins. She was not okay after delivery. The children were not well. My parents are not alive so I sought to look for help. I called one aunty in Portharcourt.

“We took the children to Portharcourt. The aunty made some inquiry. I gave her the children to take care of and she gave me N500,000.

“We didn’t discuss price. She just gave me the money. I am a Welder. There is no help and the children are not well. Their mother was my girlfriend. She had Wisdom for a man before I met her. She took in after we departed but said the man she had the twins for does not care for her.“

Similarly, Obi aged 48, said he only provided his Goodness and Mercy Orphanage home for the children to be adopted and not sold, adding that he collected N50,000 as logistics per child.

He said, “I have not sold any child. I helped to adopt for parents looking for children. I collect N50,000 registration fee for logistics. It was the police that told me here that Kenneth is not the father of the children.

“I told the women to demonstrate she is the mother and she breastfed the children. They said they wanted a home that can take care of the children. We followed due process and give them affidavit and consent agreement. The people that adopted the children reside in Lagos State.”

The police described Ofeke as a serial child trafficker who had earlier sold a yet-to-be identified baby for N1m in Portharcourt.

The state Police Commissioner, Damallam Abubakar, said the suspects would soon be charged to court.