IT was a harvest of criminals at the Niger State Police Command as the command arrested a human trafficking syndicate headed by a lady who claimed to be a staff Nurse in conjunction with her notorious cohorts after selling a set of twins and an 8-months-old baby for N500, 000 to one of its clients.

The state's Police Commissioner, Mrs Desire Diseye Nsirim, disclosed that the human trafficking syndicate was being operated by one Martina Ohakwe, a 40-year old female staff nurse with the General hospital, Kubwa, a satellite town in Abuja and one Kingsley Linus, a 33-year old man, who also claimed to be an indigene of Imo State.

Parading the criminals at the state Police Command's headquarters, Nsirim said that the suspects were rounded up on a tip-off from Suleja Local Government Area of the state, last week.

According to her, "the suspects on interrogation, made confessional statements to the police interrogators for committing the crime and as a matter of fact, Mr Linus, slept with one of them who never knew she was pregnant until we suspected she was pregnant.

“A pregnancy test showed that he had impregnated one of the baby's mothers. He had also promised all of them marriage at different occasions, assuring them that he would take care of their babies as his own."

Linus, a member of the syndicate, was said to be in the habit of usually traveling to states in the eastern part of the country where he allegedly lured unsuspecting young mothers and their little babies to Abuja, with promises of gainful employment, but after which he would camp them with his partner in crime, Martina, before selling their babies at various sums of money.

The Police boss further disclosed that in August this year, the suspect was said to have deceived a 20-year-old Oluchi Agachi and her 8-months-old baby from Enugu to Abuja with a promise of providing her a job, but her baby was later collected from her and sold to Martina for N100,000.

Linus was also alleged by the Police to have lured Ngozi Nwani, a 22-year- old and her twins, aged seven months, from Abakiliki, Ebonyi State to Abuja. Martina sold one of the twin baby girls to one Joy Opara, a 46-year-old resident of Abaji Local Government area, an outskirt of Abuja, for N400,000.

Linus Kingsley informed Crime & Security that the ladies sought his assistance and that he was trying to render the help. Linus said, "I brought them to the woman (Martina) so that they could be assisted. They begged me to give the babies to someone that could help take care of them and who will also pay them some money so that they can start doing something with their lives. Martina promised to take care of the children and assured that they would not be harmed or be allowed to be given to people who are in the habits of using human beings for ritual purposes."

He said the woman promised to give the children the best of life until they grew up and that nothing bad would happen to them.
Linus claimed that he regretted that he did not, in any way, gain anything except for his involvement in the dealings. "Martina only promised to give me N20, 000 which she said was to appreciate me for helping the girls."

He, however, denied sleeping with any of the ladies, let alone impregnating them. "I did not sleep with any of them, I don't know if someone had access to sleep with them as to have put one of them in a family way. I know one of the ladies' family but I don't know the other one; but I brought all of them from Enugu," he stated.

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