Enugu: 3 Ladies Arraigned For Trafficking ‘Newborn Twins’

One Ukorie Cynthia, 25; Onyia Pauline, 56, and Aroh Ijeoma, 39, residing in Enugu, were Friday arraigned over alleged conspiracy, children trafficking and murder.

The Enugu State Police Command said their arraignment followed ‘the consolidation and conclusion of investigations into their case by the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department’.

It was gathered that the suspects were arrested on 26/07/2022 by police operatives serving at the Central Police Station (CPS), Enugu.

They were remanded in Enugu Correctional Custodial Centre pending further hearing of the case, the state police command’s public relations officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, said.

According to him, “Their arrest was sequel to the receipt of a report alleging that they conspired and sold the newborn twins of one Chinenye Odoh, aged 31, and thereafter caused her death by poisoning her food when she realized that the suspects gave her an amount lesser than the total sum they sold the babies’.

He said, “Investigations revealed that Ukorie Cynthia accommodated the deceased in her house till she gave birth on 05/07/2022 while Aroh Ijeoma facilitated the sale of the babies by contacting Onyia Pauline, a nurse, who brought a couple that bought the babies upon their birth at N3,000,000.00.

“That contrary to this sum, Ijeoma informed the deceased and mother of the babies, Chinenye, that the children were sold for two million, three hundred and fifty thousand naira (N2,350,000.00) only, and thereafter gave her the sum of one million, eight hundred thousand naira (N1,800,000.00); gave Cynthia and Pauline fifty thousand naira (N50,000.00) each; and kept the remaining proceed to herself.”

Ndukwe said the mother of the twins later got the true value of the twins.

In his words, “When the deceased and mother of the babies eventually knew the exact amount they sold the babies, she demanded the balance, but was thereafter said to have eaten a suspected poisoned corn given to her by Cynthia, leading to her death.

“The case has been adjourned to 05/10/2022 for further hearing.”