A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has convicted and sentenced a 38-year-old woman, Mbika Asuquo Edem, also known as “Ikwo,” for offences related to human trafficking and the illegal sale of a newborn baby.
The conviction was secured by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Cross River State Command, on Wednesday, April 23, 2026, in the case marked FRN vs. Mbika Asuquo Edem (Charge No. FHC/CA/12C/2025).
Edem was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining, and disposing of a newborn baby, contrary to Sections 13(2)(b), 21, and 27 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
According to court proceedings, the convict, alongside an accomplice identified as Nurse Blessing, who is currently at large, orchestrated the premature delivery of a pregnant woman, Mercy Aniekan Ekanem. The act was reportedly carried out through deception, leading to the unlawful removal of the newborn from the mother.
The court further heard that after taking possession of the baby, the suspects sold the child to an unidentified individual. The victim was subsequently abandoned by the roadside and given the sum of ₦200,000.
Edem, who pleaded not guilty when the charges were filed on March 4, 2025, was formally arraigned on March 19, 2025. Following the trial, the court found her guilty on all four counts.
Delivering judgment, the presiding judge, Hon. Justice Rosemary Dugbo Oghoghorie, sentenced the convict to two years imprisonment on Count One, with an option of a ₦2 million fine. On Counts Two, Three, and Four, she was sentenced to two years imprisonment on each count without an option of fine.
The sentences are to run concurrently and take effect from the date of her arrest.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered the convict to pay ₦500,000 as compensation to the victim.
The sum of ₦200,000 earlier recovered from the victim and tendered as evidence during trial was also ordered forfeited to the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, authorities have disclosed that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing accomplice, Nurse Blessing, as investigations continue.
The judgment highlights renewed efforts by NAPTIP to combat human trafficking and illegal child adoption practices in Cross River State and across Nigeria.
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