The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested three workers who allegedly attempted to traffic their employer’s two-year-old child in Ogoja, Cross River State.
The Head of Operations, Cross River Command of NAPTIP, Oba Joseph, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
Joseph said the agency received a report on Monday concerning an incident in Ogberia Ochoro community, where the three suspects allegedly took the child and attempted to move him to another location for the purpose of selling him.
According to him, the suspects claimed they had worked for their employer for about three months without receiving their wages.
“They claimed they decided to traffic the child as revenge and to recover the money they said they were owed,” Joseph said.
However, the employer reportedly disputed the allegation, insisting that he had paid the workers and only owed them their August wages, which had not yet become due at the time of the incident.
Joseph said the suspects were apprehended after a farmer returning from the farm noticed them moving suspiciously with the child.
The farmer reportedly questioned the trio, prompting one of the suspects to allegedly claim that the two-year-old was his child.
Unsatisfied with their explanation, the farmer reportedly raised an alarm, leading to the suspects’ arrest after they had crossed about four communities.
Joseph said investigations into the incident were ongoing and that NAPTIP would prosecute the suspects upon completion of its investigation.
He also disclosed that authorities were working to establish the actual ages of the three suspects.
According to him, community records indicated that the suspects were 18, 19 and 27 years old. However, the suspects told NAPTIP that they were 16, 17 and 25 respectively.
The agency has therefore contacted their parents to assist in verifying their ages.
Joseph explained that if the suspects are confirmed to be minors, they could be treated as children in conflict with the law, which could affect how the case is handled by the court.
He stressed, however, that the issue of their ages would not diminish the seriousness of the allegation involving the attempted trafficking of the two-year-old child.
He added that the ongoing investigation would determine the appropriate legal process and charges against the suspects.
