The Makurdi Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking of Persons has arrested a 49-year-old woman, Mrs Augustina Ikyor, for adopting twin babies in Benue State.
The Zonal Commander, Bai Iveren, in a statement, said the mother of the twins claimed that the suspect deceitfully took the babies away from her.
The statement said “we received a complaint from a distressed 22-year-old mother of twins, who alleged that her twin babies of about two months were deceitfully taken from her by a woman she barely knew.
“She stated that the woman had previously demanded she sell off her twin babies since she had been thrown out of where she was staying.”
According to the mother of the twins, although she rejected the offer, under the guise of assisting her, the woman took the twins from her to an unknown destination.
OsunDaily News however learnt that the tactical team of operatives from the command were immediately detailed to handle the matter in a swift sting operation.
Following that, one Mrs Augustina Ikyor, 49, was arrested and the twin babies (a boy and a girl) were rescued, and the mother and babies are currently in safe custody.
The commander called on the public to be on the lookout for people who lure young girls, mostly single mothers, to sell their newborns under the guise of assistance.
Meanwhile, a breastfeeding mother of a nine-week-old baby, Roselyn Okokingho, who was kidnapped by gunmen in Town Brass in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, has been freed.
OsunDaily News gathered that Pius Okokingho, the husband of the victim, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that his wife had spent two weeks in the kidnappers’ den.
He said that her abductors dropped her off at a lonely place along the Brass river waterways from where she was rescued by sympathisers.
According to him, the incident forced the family to resort to infant formula rather than the exclusive breast milk that the baby was accustomed to.
He added that the new baby who had been denied exclusive breast milk due to the abduction of the lactating mother was elated when the mother returned home.
Although Okokingho refused to disclose if the ransom was paid, he, however, said that the kidnappers had called him and demanded N10 million ransom, but his offer of N100,000 was rejected.
“I can confirm that my wife is back and I thank God that she is in good health, I am also grateful to sympathisers that came to her rescue and those who stood by me during the traumatic two weeks. I also applaud the media for the selfless advocacy for the freedom of my wife.
I am sure they were under intense pressure as the kidnappers said that the incident was enjoying media spotlight, an indication that I had money; but I told them it was public service,” he said.
This article was originally published on OsunDaily News
