The Police Command in Lagos State says it has arrested a couple (name withheld), over an alleged attempt to sell their two-year-old son to travel to Canada.
The Lagos State Police command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this on Thursday in Lagos.
Hundeyin said that the couple, aged 28 and 22, were arrested on Tuesday while attempting to sell the boy off.
The police spokesperson said that on Tuesday, at about 2.45 p.m., the Isolo Divisional Police Officer (DPO) received information that a couple went to Isolo General Hospital and declared their intention to sell their baby boy.
“Upon receipt of the information, operatives from the station moved swiftly to the hospital where they were about to sell their child.
“The baby’s age is two and he has been rescued. Upon interrogation, the couple confessed that they decided to sell the baby to enable the man to travel to Canada for a greener pasture.
“However, the investigation is ongoing,” he said.
The Nigeria Police Force is the principal law enforcement and the lead security agency in Nigeria. Designated by the 1999 constitution as the national police of Nigeria with exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country, as of 2021 it has a staff strength of about 371,800. There are currently plans to increase the force to 650,000, adding 280,000 recruits to the existing 370,000.
The Nigeria Police Force is a very large organisation consisting of 36 State commands and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) grouped into 17 zones and 8 administrative organs. As of July 2024, the NPF is headed by IGP (Inspector General) Kayode Egbetokun. In 2020, it underwent major overhauls.
NAN
