The Cross River Police Command on Wednesday said it had arrested a couple for allegedly selling their six-year-old daughter for N400, 000.
Presenting the couple before newsmen, Mr Hafiz Inuwa, the state Commissioner of Police, said the suspects were arrested at Ikom Local Government area on April 26 following a tip-off.
Inuwa said that the couple sold the child to enable them to offset their house rent and open up a small provision shop.
“On April 26, 2017, following a tip-off, our men arrested a couple, George-Sunday Udoh and his wife Victoria, for allegedly selling their daughter at the cost of N400,000.
“The suspects were arrested by our operatives attached to the Ikom division.
“The case has been transferred to State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department here in Calabar and investigation is on-going,’’ he said.
The father of the child, however, denied selling the child in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) .
“It is true that we don’t have money and things are very hard with me and my wife, but we did not sell our baby for N400,000,’’ he said.
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The commissioner also paraded 28 armed robbery suspects, cultists and others for various offences.
The commissioner said on May 2, officers attached to the Akamkpa local police division arrested five robbery suspects who allegedly broke into a corps members’ lodge at Government Secondary School, Akamkpa.
He said that the suspects carted away a laptop, handset and N3,800, adding that investigation into the case was on-going.
“On May 3, we also arrested a security guard at Ekorinim area of Calabar Municipality for defiling the 11-year-old daughter of his boss.
“The case was reported by the mother of the girl,” he said.
The suspect told NAN that he had a mutual agreement with the girl before he had sex with her.
“I did not defile nor rape her, we both agreed to have sex and I was arrested four days after the incident happened.
“I am sorry that I slept with my madam’s daughter, but I did not defile or rape her because we both agreed to have sex,’’ he said.
The Commissioner also paraded three armed robbery suspects suspected of snatching a Toyota Avalon car with registration number ANA 369 CK belonging to one Obi Joseph-Funmi on January 25, 2017.
He added that in all the cases, the police had recovered five locally made pistols, two vehicles, an ax, machetes, live cartridges, and other weapons.
