His worship, U. M. Ozoeze of the Enugu State Magistrate Court has remanded a medical doctor, Dr Benedict Akpudachie of the Moonlight Medical Clinic in Enugu Custodial Centre for buying and selling one-day-old baby for N1 million.

Also remanded in the centre were the mother of the baby, a 19-year-old Uchechi Joseph; Abubakar Idris her lover and the buyer Onah Hyacinth both within the age of 26 to 87.

Enugu State Police Command had arraigned the accused persons before the Enugu North Magisterial District holden at Enugu on six-count No MEN/118c/2020 for conspiracy and child trafficking; punishable under section 21, 27(a) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.

A copy of the charge our correspondent sighted on Sunday, the accused were said to have committed the offence on August 22, 2019, at Coal Camp Enugu in Enugu North Local Government Area of the state.

In proof of information filed in the court, the 19-year-old mother with her lover had sold the baby immediately after delivery to the doctor at N300,000 who in turn sold the baby N1 million to the waiting buyer the same day.

Part of the charge reads: “that you Uchechi Joseph, Benedict Akpudachie, Abubakar Idris, Onah Hyacinth and others now at large on or about the 22nd August 2019 at Coal Camp Enugu, within the Enugu-North magisterial district, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit: Child Trafficking and thereby committed an offence.

“That you Benedict Akpudachie and others now at large on the same date and place within the aforementioned magisterial district did sell one-day-old baby boy given birth to by Uchechi Joseph in your Moonlight Medical Clinic to one Hyacinth Onah and Ukamaka Onah for the sum of one million naira only knowing the baby to be likely to be subjected to exploitation and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 21 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.

“That you Uchechi, Benedict, Abubakar, Onah and others now at large on the same date and place, did deal on the buying and selling of a one-day-old baby boy given birth to Uchechi Joseph at a price and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 30 (1) and punishable under section 30 (3) of the Child’s Rights Act, LFN, 2014.”