Akwa Ibom court sentences man to five years imprisonment for stealing and selling child

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By Linda Ikeji 30 October 2026, 11:45 pm 0 comments

Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo on Friday, sentenced a middle-aged man, Bassey Edem Akpan, to five years in prison for child trafficking.

The convict was one of the six persons who conspired and stole a child, who was sold multiple times across different States in 2019.

The victim, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, was first sold in Abia State for N100,000 before being transferred to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where the price increased to N300,000 and subsequently N400,000.

The child was later taken to Abuja, where the syndicate sold him for N1m.

Akpan stood trial alongside five co-defendants who absconded after being granted bail, leaving him as the only defendant to face the full trial.

The case commenced in Itu and subsequently moved through Ibiono Ibom before reaching Uyo, the State Capital and started de novo.

In its judgment, the Court, presided over by Justice Okon Okon, held that the prosecution had established its case against Akpan and found him guilty of child stealing.

The court sentenced him to five years imprisonment, with the sentence to take effect from the date of judgment.