''A child is not a commodity that can be bought in the market. But in the case of a three-year-old boy, Godswill Ukpong, he was bought and sold three times. And as he was being sold and bought, his value kept rising.
PUNCH METRO learnt that Ukpong was allegedly kidnapped by his uncle, Israel Asuquo, who stayed with the child’s parents.
The suspect and his friend, Emmanuel Morgan, according to police investigation, sold Ukpong to Mr. Peter Ekanem for N200,000.
Our correspondent gathered that Peter’s wife, Ebere, who was still at large, took the three-year-old boy out of Akwa Ibom State to Abia State and sold him to Mr. Godson Echechi for N400,000. Like a commodity, Echedi now sold Ukpong to another woman, Ethel Chika, for N480,000.
It was learnt that Ukpong, who was kidnapped on April 29, 2011, ended up in the house of a childless couple in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, before he was rescued on May 25, 2011.
It was gathered that the childless couple had applied to the child welfare centre in Umuahia since 2009 seeking to adopt a child.
The mother of the child, Ime Asuquo, told our correspondent that when he went to work, he left Ukpong in care of her younger brothers.
“I left for work and kept the child in the company of my two brothers. When I returned and asked for Ukpong, one of my younger brothers, Edet, told me that Israel took the child away. When I asked Israel, he said he took the child out to buy biscuit for him. But when he could not produce the boy, I raised the alarm,” Ime, a hairdresser, said.
The Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, Mr. Felix Uyanna, said Israel and Morgan paid a clergyman, Evans Eshiet, N20,000 to provide them with spiritual protection that would make it impossible for the police to reveal their identities.
But Uyanna said the suspects’ effort amounted to nothing as they were arrested by the police.
The commissioner of police assured journalists that the matter would not be swept under the carpet, adding that the childless couple would also be investigated to know whether they were culpable or not.
Uyanna, said, “We are witnessing another version of kidnapping. Meanwhile, the parents of the boy were in distress looking for their son who was kidnapped by the very uncle living with them in the same house and the same building, feeding from the same pot of soup.
“You could see the profiteering, as he moved from one hand to another, the price and the value kept going up. We thank God we are on top of the game and we have been able to get all of them.”
Source: The Punch newspaper
PUNCH METRO learnt that Ukpong was allegedly kidnapped by his uncle, Israel Asuquo, who stayed with the child’s parents.
The suspect and his friend, Emmanuel Morgan, according to police investigation, sold Ukpong to Mr. Peter Ekanem for N200,000.
Our correspondent gathered that Peter’s wife, Ebere, who was still at large, took the three-year-old boy out of Akwa Ibom State to Abia State and sold him to Mr. Godson Echechi for N400,000. Like a commodity, Echedi now sold Ukpong to another woman, Ethel Chika, for N480,000.
It was learnt that Ukpong, who was kidnapped on April 29, 2011, ended up in the house of a childless couple in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, before he was rescued on May 25, 2011.
It was gathered that the childless couple had applied to the child welfare centre in Umuahia since 2009 seeking to adopt a child.
The mother of the child, Ime Asuquo, told our correspondent that when he went to work, he left Ukpong in care of her younger brothers.
“I left for work and kept the child in the company of my two brothers. When I returned and asked for Ukpong, one of my younger brothers, Edet, told me that Israel took the child away. When I asked Israel, he said he took the child out to buy biscuit for him. But when he could not produce the boy, I raised the alarm,” Ime, a hairdresser, said.
The Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, Mr. Felix Uyanna, said Israel and Morgan paid a clergyman, Evans Eshiet, N20,000 to provide them with spiritual protection that would make it impossible for the police to reveal their identities.
But Uyanna said the suspects’ effort amounted to nothing as they were arrested by the police.
The commissioner of police assured journalists that the matter would not be swept under the carpet, adding that the childless couple would also be investigated to know whether they were culpable or not.
Uyanna, said, “We are witnessing another version of kidnapping. Meanwhile, the parents of the boy were in distress looking for their son who was kidnapped by the very uncle living with them in the same house and the same building, feeding from the same pot of soup.
“You could see the profiteering, as he moved from one hand to another, the price and the value kept going up. We thank God we are on top of the game and we have been able to get all of them.”
Source: The Punch newspaper
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