Security operatives in Cross River State have dismantled a criminal baby-selling ring, rescuing a newborn who was trafficked for ₦3 million through an elaborate fake pregnancy scheme. The operation exposed a network that preyed on desperate couples seeking children, dealing a significant blow to child trafficking in the state.
Officers from the Cross River State Homeland Safety and Security Agency (HSSA) arrested four suspects on Tuesday, June 24, in Akpabuyo Local Government Area. Mary Solomon, 42; Patience Akumuruk, 46; Juliet Efut, 43; and delivery home operator Umoh Effiong Edet, alias "Glory", were apprehended after HSSA personnel intercepted a taxi carrying the infant near Maternity Junction.
The syndicate operated through a scheme known as "implanting," where clients paid to fake pregnancies for up to a year using induced physical changes. While the client appeared pregnant, a real pregnant girl was kept hidden until she gave birth.
"During this period, the real mother is housed secretly. When she delivers, the baby is handed over to the client for a fee, while the public believes it was a legitimate birth," an investigator explained to reporters.
The rescued baby was sold for ₦3 million, though the identity of the biological mother remains unknown. All four suspects have been transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) through its Calabar office for prosecution.
A senior NAPTIP official revealed that one suspect, Solomon, was herself victimised by the network. She believed she was genuinely giving birth and paid ₦3 million without realising she'd been scammed by the maternity home operators.
"One of the suspects, who is actually a victim, thought she was legitimately giving birth biologically, and she paid three million naira, not knowing it was just the usual baby scam," the official told reporters.
Investigators confirmed that other members of the wider syndicate remain at large. Authorities are pursuing leads to track down additional suspects involved in the operation.
"This is a wider network. What we have uncovered so far is just one arm of it.
We are working to ensure nobody involved escapes justice," the source said.
