Akwa Ibom Court Jails Man 5 Years for Stealing, Selling Child for ₦1m

An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a man, Bassey Edem Akpan, to five years’ imprisonment for his involvement in the stealing and trafficking of a child.

Akpan was one of six individuals accused of conspiring to abduct a child in 2019 and selling the victim multiple times across different states.

According to reports, the child, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, was initially sold for ₦100,000 in Abia State before being transferred to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where the selling price increased to ₦300,000 and later ₦400,000.

The syndicate subsequently moved the child to Abuja, where the victim was sold for ₦1 million.

Akpan stood trial alongside five other defendants, who reportedly absconded after being granted bail, leaving him as the only person to face the full trial.

The case initially commenced in Itu and later moved through Ibiono Ibom before eventually reaching Uyo, where proceedings began afresh.

Delivering judgment on Friday, October 30, 2026, Justice Okon Okon held that the prosecution had successfully established its case against Akpan and found him guilty of child stealing.

The court consequently sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment, with the sentence taking effect from the date of judgment.