By Kelvin Ololo
The Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced a 28-year-old man, Emmanuel Okechukwu Ogbodo, and a 22-year-old woman, Peace Ufeabuchi Nnamonu, to five years imprisonment each for attempting to sell their one-year-old son for ₦800,000.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Cross River State Command, disclosed this in a notice announcing the convictions on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
According to the agency, the convicts were found guilty of two counts bordering on conspiracy and attempted sale of their child, Godstime Ogbodo, for the purpose of exploitation, contrary to Sections 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
NAPTIP stated that the attempted transaction was reported to its Cross River State Command by the prospective buyer, who alerted the agency, leading to an intervention that stopped the sale and resulted in the arrest of both suspects.
The agency disclosed that the defendants pleaded guilty to the two-count charge filed on October 12, 2026, before their arraignment on November 3, 2026.
Delivering judgment on November 11, 2026, Justice Rosemary Dugbo Oghoghorie sentenced each defendant to five years’ imprisonment on the first count and two-and-a-half years on the second count.
However, the court ordered that both sentences run concurrently, meaning each convict will serve a total of five years in prison. The sentences are to commence from their respective dates of arrest.
The case, marked FHC/CA/206C/2026, was prosecuted before the Federal High Court, Calabar Judicial Division.
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