Police Arraign Three in Anambra for Alleged Child Trafficking

The Anambra State Police Command has arraigned a 72-year-old doctor and two women for allegedly stealing and selling children in the state.

The defendants, identified as Dr. Daniel Ikebuilo, 24-year-old Ifunanya Ogbonna, and 27-year-old Odinaka Okorie, appeared before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Offences Court in Awka on Wednesday. They were charged with five counts, including conspiracy, child stealing, and illegal sale of children.

According to the prosecution, the alleged crimes took place between July 2024 and February 2025 in Nkwelle-Ezunaka, Oyi Local Government Area. The prosecutor, Inspector Chinyere Okechukwu, informed the court that the defendants conspired to take two children, aged six and five, from their parents without consent. Dr. Ikebuilo was accused of purchasing the six-year-old child for three million naira, while Ogbonna and Okorie allegedly sold the five-year-old for 1.2 million naira to the doctor.

The prosecution cited Sections 495(a) and 321 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Anambra, 1991 (as amended), as well as Section 31(1)(4) of the state’s Child Rights Law of 2004, as legal grounds for the charges.

The defendants pleaded not guilty, and Chief Magistrate U.E. Onochie granted them bail at one million naira each, with a surety in the same amount. The case was adjourned to May 7 for further hearing.