By Odimmegwa Johnpeter, Abuja
The Marine Patrol team of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Cross River State has rescued a three-week old baby suspected to be a victim of child trafficking at the high sea.
The Cross River Comptroller of NIS, Mr. Okey Ezugwu, who briefed newsmen on the incident in Calabar, said that the suspected child trafficker, Mrs. Maureen Awokara, was arrested on December 19, 2020 at the high sea. This is contained in a press statement by DCI Sunday James, Service Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Immigration Service.
Ezugwu said that the suspect was arrested by the Marine Patrol officers following her inability to give a comprehensive explanation on the true ownership of the baby.
“A few days ago, our officers at the Marine Patrol at the international waterways intercepted one Maureen Awokara, who claimed to be a native of Imo state with a three-week old child.”
“During the arrest, she came up with all unconvincing stories. Initially, she said the child belongs to her sister, yet we have carried out a preliminary investigation and all the lines she gave us to reach the sister, one Chioma Iweh is not connecting.”
The baby and the suspected trafficker will be handed over to NAPTIP for further investigations. Preliminary investigation gives us every reason to believe that the little child is been trafficked.
“The suspect claim she is going to Cameroon, Gabon and wherever. The Service is suspecting a cartel deal, because over time, we have had a lot of surveillance and serious checks at our border bases and the airport, making it impossible for any of them to use these routes.”
We are looking at a situation where they have now device a means of using the waterways, using small boats to take away this little children along.
The CIS Ezugwu further explained that effort by the command to get in contact with other family members to ascertain if the family members were in agreement for her to take the baby away have proved abortive because the suspect was not willing to give useful information on the matter.
The Service urged parents to always watch over their children with love and care and shun any form of allowing their children to be trafficked for monetary purpose.
https://any.peopleandpowermag.com/immigration-marine-patrol-calabar-rescues-three-weeks-old-trafficked-baby-at-high-sea/
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