A High Court, sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria presided over by Justice Gabriel Ette, has on Friday, June 2, sentenced three women to death for specialising in kidnapping and selling of children in the state.
The women identified as Enobong Nsikak Sunday (38), Gertrude Thompson Akpan (48), and Mary Okon James (49) were found guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping, punishable by death under Section 1 of the Akwa Ibom State Internal Security and Enforcement Law, 2009.
Enobong Sunday, a mother of two from Atiamkpat in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area, met her waterloo in her last business, which was the kidnap of a two-year girl she met at a vigil in Ifa Atai, Uyo, “looking poor and hungry.” She said she trailed the mother and child to their house in Ifa Atai and deceived her that she wanted to take the child to a hospital for treatment. While on their way, she said she stopped and gave the mother of the child N5,000 to buy foodstuffs at the nearby Transformer Junction Market on Abak Road, Uyo, but the woman refused. Not relenting, she said she returned to the woman’s house in Ifa Atai, where she successfully kidnapped the child.
The second convict, Gertrude Akpan, a native of Ikot Eyo in Nsit Ubium, said she made a profit of N500,000 per child she kidnapped and N200,000 for those brought to her for sale. The last business which landed her in prison was two children, aged two years and ten months, she kidnapped on 16th December 2018 at Abak Road, Uyo, after deceiving their mother that the wife of the immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Martha Udom Emmanuel was empowering the poor and that she will take her to the First Lady for help.
Also, Mary Okon James, a native of Obotim in Nsit Ibom, who bought one of the children at N200,000 and sold at N500,000 in Aba, was convicted.
Justice Ette said the confessional statements of the accused persons link each other and firmly established that they constitute a sophisticated syndicate for their infamous trade.
“For a woman to have gone to that extent, it means she has sealed her conscience with a hot iron and thereby become a threat to civilized society as every child is her potential victim. You have, by your conduct, disqualified yourself from continuing to walk free in organized society as every child is your potential victim.