How tricycle rider apprehends suspects involved in selling of three-day-old baby

Abdullateef Fowewe

The Delta State Police Command has arrested two women, Tessi Ikechukwu and Lauretta Akomen, for allegedly stealing and selling a three-day-old baby for N2 million.

This was divulged in a statement on Thursday by the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe.

Edafe noted that the suspects’ arrest was a result of a commercial tricycle rider who reported at the police station that his passengers were into child trafficking.

Edafe said, “On 1/10/2024, at about 1830hours, a tricycle rider (name withheld) came to Ekpan Police Station and reported that while he was on his daily commercial operation, four women boarded his tricycle, on reaching Efurrun Roundabout, two of them alighted from the tricycle.

“One of the two women who alighted handed over a newborn baby boy to the women left in his tricycle and he heard one of them saying ‘the balance has been paid’ while saying that when they get to their destination, they should inform her.

“The tricycle rider smartly diverted the two women, Tessi Ikechukwu and Lauretta Akomen, and the newborn baby to Ekpan Police Station.”

Upon investigation, police discovered that Akomen bought the baby for the sum of N2m from a traditional home located in Port Harcourt, Rivers State where they harbour lass and get men to have sex with them till they are pregnant after which they sell the babies to people who are in need of children.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that one of the suspects Lauretta Akomen, aged 38 years, bought the baby for the sum of N2 million from a traditional home located in Port Harcourt where they harbour teenage girls, and got men to have sex with them till they are pregnant after which they sell the babies to people looking for children.

“The suspect also revealed that she was given a drug which she took for some time to make her look pregnant. She later led the DPO CSP Aliyu Shaba and operatives to the house of one Gloria (surname unknown) who acted as an agent between her and the traditional home.

“Suspects are in custody while a manhunt for the other accomplices is ongoing,” the statement added.

The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, thanked the tricycle rider for being a patriotic citizen and urged others to emulate the patriotic deed of the tricycle rider.