Operatives of the Anambra State Special Anti-Touting Squad Agency have apprehended a 42-year-old man, Sunday Nomen, over alleged involvement in child trafficking.
The suspect, said to be a native of Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, was arrested on Sunday at Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State following intelligence-driven operations.
Parading the suspect at the agency’s headquarters in Onitsha on Monday, the spokesperson, Karen James, disclosed that Nomen is believed to be part of an inter-state syndicate engaged in trafficking and selling children as young as six months to prospective buyers.
She revealed that two children, aged three and eight, were rescued during the operation after security operatives raided the suspect’s location.
According to James, the arrest underscored the agency’s commitment to tackling criminal activities and safeguarding vulnerable persons across the state.
She explained that the suspect was tracked and apprehended after an undercover operative posed as a prospective buyer and engaged him in negotiations for one of the children.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to purchasing the children for N3.5 million,” she said, adding that he disclosed plans to hand them over to an accomplice identified simply as Uju, who allegedly introduced him to the illegal trade.
Preliminary investigations further indicated that the children had been lodged in a hotel in Nkpor pending the suspect’s meeting with the accomplice.
James noted that the suspect would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka for further investigation, as efforts were ongoing to apprehend other members of the trafficking network.