The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Cross River State Command, has secured the conviction of a 38-year-old woman, Mbika Asuquo Edem, also known as Ikwo, for offences related to baby trafficking. Edem was convicted on Thursday by the Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, presided over by Justice Rosemary Dugbo Oghoghorie.
Guilty Verdict on Four Charges
The court found her guilty on a four-count charge of conspiracy, obtaining and disposing of a newborn baby, contrary to provisions of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015. According to NAPTIP, the convict, alongside an accomplice identified as Nurse Blessing, who remains at large, orchestrated the premature delivery of a victim, Mercy Aniekan Ekanem, through deception. The agency said the duo obtained the newborn from the mother and sold the baby to an unidentified buyer, after which the victim was abandoned by the roadside with N200,000.
Plea and Sentencing
Edem had pleaded not guilty when she was arraigned on March 19, 2025, following the filing of the case earlier that month. In a judgment delivered on April 23, 2026, the court sentenced her to two years’ imprisonment on each of the four counts, with a fine of N2 million on the first count. The sentences are to run concurrently and take effect from the date of her arrest.
Compensation and Forfeiture
Justice Oghoghorie also ordered the convict to pay N500,000 as compensation to the victim, while the N200,000 recovered from the victim and tendered as exhibit was forfeited to the Federal Government. NAPTIP stated that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing accomplice and ensure full justice is served.
