Court Jails Three Men for Trafficking Two-Year-Old Boy in Cross River
The Federal High Court in Calabar sentenced the convicts to prison terms and fines after they pleaded guilty to abducting and transporting the toddler for exploitation.
A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced three men to prison for abducting and trafficking a two-year-old boy in an alleged attempt to take him to Benue State.
The convicts, Felix Iorlumun, 18; Silas Shie, 19; and Samuel Moses, 27, were found guilty of conspiracy and transporting the child through abduction for the purpose of exploitation.
Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie delivered the judgment on October 7, 2026, convicting the trio on all counts in the case, Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Felix Iorlumun and two others.
The offences contravened Sections 13 and 27 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition), Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Community Vigilantes Intercept Suspects
The victim, Wisdom Emmanuel Achua, was reportedly abducted from Bunyia Community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State and taken to Mbube Community in Ogoja.
The suspects were intercepted by community vigilantes in Mbube, who alerted the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The agency subsequently took over the investigation and prosecution of the case through its Cross River State Command.
The three men pleaded guilty to the charges when they were arraigned in October.
Court Hands Down Prison Terms, Fines
The court sentenced Iorlumun and Shie to two years’ imprisonment each and imposed a fine of ₦250,000 on each of counts one and two. Their prison terms are to run concurrently.
Moses also received two years’ imprisonment and a fine of ₦250,000 on each of counts one and two, with the sentences to run concurrently.
On count three, Moses was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and fined ₦1 million. That sentence will also run concurrently with the others.
The judgment followed the prosecution’s case that the men conspired to abduct and transport the toddler for exploitation.
NAPTIP Prosecutes Child Trafficking Cases
The conviction underscores the legal consequences of child trafficking and abduction under Nigeria’s anti-trafficking legislation.
NAPTIP’s Cross River State Command prosecuted the case, following the intervention of community vigilantes who alerted the agency after intercepting the suspects with the child.
The case was heard under Charge No. FHC/CA/160C/2026 at the Federal High Court in Calabar.
