A 71- year old retired pastor of a Pentecostal church in Abriba, Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, Rev. Chima Egbochiogum, has been arrested along with his wife, Ugo, for alleged buying a baby for N500,000.
The pastor and his wife were arrested for allegedly adopting the stolen baby whom the suspect sold at the cost of N500, 000.
Delta state Commissioner of Police, Joshak Habila, who paraded the couple in Umuahia, alongside other suspects in connection with the incident, allegedly bought a stolen baby.
According to the police boss, the pastor and his wife were nabbed following a confession by a notorious child trafficker who was arrested last month for human trafficking.
Habila said that the child trafficker, identified simply as Ekwutosi, stole an 11-month-old baby girl belonging to a 21- year -old pregnant mother, who he had pretended to assist.
Police boss said Ekwutosi had approached the young woman, who had a baby out of wedlock, with promise that he would secure a job opportunity for her.
The woman was said to have left her baby in the custody of Ekwotosi when she went to buy food for her.
“But by the time the mother returned, Ekwutosi had disappeared with the baby,” the police commissioner said, adding that the suspect was later intercepted by the police at Owerrinta when he was allegedly trafficking pregnant girls to Port Harcourt.
He added that the suspect confessed to his criminal activities including the stealing of the 11- month old baby during interrogations.
According to Habila, the confession led to the arrest of the pastor who allegedly adopted the stolen baby, adding that the suspect sold the baby at the cost of N500, 000 to the wife of the pastor.
In an interview with journalists, the pastor said he was not aware that the baby adopted by his wife was a stolen child, adding that he had married his second wife following the death of his first wife, who had born children for him. [myad]
