File: In this picture taken on October 19, 2011, policewomen bring a group of children rescued recently from child traffickers, back home to Guiyang, in southwest China's Guizhou province. Picture: STR/AFP/Getty Images

SICHUAN PROVINCE - Chinese police have detained over a thousand people, and rescued 382 babies, in a national crackdown on four online baby trafficking rings.
Child trafficking is widespread in China, where population control laws have resulted in bias for baby boys.
Boys in China are seen as support for elderly parents, and heirs to the family name.
It has led to the abortion, killing or abandoning of girls.
About 118 boys are born for every 100 girls in the country, against a global average of about 105 boys per 100 girls.
The imbalance has created a criminal demand for kidnapped or bought baby boys, as well as baby girls destined to be brides attracting rich dowries.
-eNCA

From EMMANUEL UZOR, Onitsha
Uneasy calm reigns in  Onitsha, Anambra State as child theft has assumed a dangerous dimension in the commercial city with the emergence of a syndicate that allegedly steals  children from Calabar, Cross River State and uses  Onitsha as its sales point.
However, luck ran out on two suspected female members of the syndicate yesterday when they were apprehended at separate spots  by policemen attached to the Okpoko Police Division at  Akwa Ibom Park axis  along Onitsha-Owerri Road after an unidentified  woman was arrested for allegedly stealing two babies from Calabar and selling  them in Onitsha.
Another woman suspected to be a member of the child trafficking syndicate was also arrested by operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) attached to Okpoko Police Division at the Calabar Motor Park on Onitsha-Owerri Road.
Daily Sun gathered that the suspects, who were undergoing interrogation at the office of Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Emeka Ugwu, were arrested following a tip off by some staff of the Akwa Ibom Motor Park and passersby, who suspected their movements.
According to one of the witnesses simply identified as Obinna, one of the suspects was a regular visitor to the park, and  had always come on a weekly basis with different children after which she would return to Calabar, leaving the children behind.
Obinna said nemesis caught up with the women when one of them came into the park in a vehicle belonging to the Transport Company of Anambra State (TRACAS) with a newly born baby with  blood stains.
“The lady comes to the park almost every week; at times at two weeks interval and we discovered that each time she appeared, she had two or three children mostly day old and one-week old children. There was a day she carried a baby with stain of blood showing that the child had  just been delivered. So, today (yesterday) she came  from Calabar and because we have been monitoring her, we noticed that she had two children with her. But when she resurfaced  to board a bus back to Calabar without those kids, that was when we confirmed our suspicion and invited the police,” he said.

By Abiodun Badejo

A Federal High Court sitting in Akure yesterday remanded in prison custody, two suspects, Mrs Happiness Ogundeji and Mr Abiodun Ogundeji presently standing trial over their alleged connection with a baby factory in Ilutitu ,Okitipupa.

The trial Judge, Justice Mohammed Ishaq Sani gave the order at the resumed hearing of the matter .

Counsel to the suspects, Mr Festus Keyamo informed the court of the application for bail, dated February 23 and filed on February 24 ,2014.

Keyanmo, told the court that he had filed bail applications for each of the accused persons.
He therefore prayed for consolidation of the applications in which they asked for an order admitting the suspect to bail.

According to him, “The constitution guarantees the freedom of the accused persons, since they are presumed innocent until they are found guilty”.

The lawyer urged the court to admit his client to bail so as to afford them the opportunity to stand trial ,adding that ‘’the discretion of the court is unfettered.’’

The prosecution lawyer, Barr. Chedu Ajaegbu, who represented the Attorney General of the Federation, also informed the court of a Counter Affidavit dated February 26,2014 in which he attached some evidence to prove that the accused persons should not be granted bail

He pointed out that the first accused, Mrs Ogundeji was facing similar charge in Enugu and Imo State High Courts.

The prosecution counsel submitted that the woman in the two states where she committed the same offence ,was granted bail, but she has since stopped attending courts for her trial before she relocated to Ondo State.

But, Keyamo contended that the prosecution counsel should display before the court, evidence of bench warrant against her in the two states.

Justice Sani then adjourned his ruling on the bail application.

However, Ajaegbu told the court that he could not take the accused persons back to Lagos until determination of the court on bail application because ,he brought them from Lagos and kept them in the custody of the Immigration Service.

He therefore applied that the duo be remanded in prison custody, which was accordingly granted by the court.

A carpenter, Christopher David has been arrested by Delta state Police for allegedly selling his daughter to ritualists.
Christopher was said to have been reported to the police by his wife, Florence after he gave her some part of the N200,000 he was paid for selling his daughter to the ritualists in Lagos..
It was gathered that in October 2013, Christopher’s wife, Florence David had given birth to their baby girl but was taken away from her after her husband deceived her that they could not take care of the child due to their poor living condition.
The husband however handed the baby over to a woman identified as Grace (surname withheld).
DSP Celestina Kalu, Police spokesperson in the state, confirmed that the suspect has been arrested and would be charged to court after investigations have been completed

The Jigawa state civil defense corps have arrested one Malam Nasiru sani [40 years] for allegedly impregnating one Hajiya Hauwa sani [20years] of babura quaters all in Babura local government area of Jigawa state.
The suspect hauwa sani was also arrested by the civil defense official for allegedly killing the ‘aborted’ baby and secretly burying the baby with the support of her parent inside their house in aduwa village of babura local government in the state.
The suspect was taken to babura general hospital to verification. The buried baby was exhumed out from the grave for verification to determine whether the baby was a boy or a girl and how many month the baby was.
Both the suspect and the 40years accused confessed to the deed. The accused confessed that he played a greater role in impregnating hauwa sani.
The commandant of the civil defense Alhaji muhammed gidado said the suspect will all be taken to court for judgment.
By Umar Akilu Majeri, Dutse

The sustained efforts  of  the Abia State Police  Command to rid the state of child trafficking, especially the sale of babies by charity homes, yielded  some fruit yesterday  when the police rescued 19, pregnant, teenage girls from an illegal charity home in Umuobia Estate Olokoro, Umuahia, the state capital.
The owner of the home,  Ms Mma  Achumba – who also owns another charity home which has been on the radar of the state’s security agents, in Umunkpeghi, Isialangwa  local government area of the state – was placed on the police’s wanted list  for child-trafficking, after the state government ordered the demolition of the home.
Briefing journalists yesterday in Umuahia, the state commissioner of police, Mr Tilli Abubakar, who paraded the pregnant girls, said the girls whose ages range from 15 to23 years were brought to the home from neighbouring states.
Abubakar said the illegal home was raided after the men of the command had been informed of the home where the 19 pregnant teens and a nursing mother of a day-old baby were rescued.
He also explained that the police had been informed that Achumba always sneaked in at dusk and left at dawn, but the place was raided by 4a.m, she had left.
According to the police, Achumba’s son, Uche, and his wife, who acted as resident caretakers, were arrested.
Uche, a father of four, admitted that he was aware of his mother’s activities, but said he had, at various times, warned her not to engage in the “business”.
Also paraded was one Chimere Sunday (alias Boyoyo ) of  Umuojima Ogbu in Osisiomangwa who allegedly collaborated with one Mrs Uloaku Chinweuba and Ugochi Alozie, to sell his two children to an undisclosed buyer.
Abubakar said that after confessing, the suspect had led the police to the house of the man who bought the children, following which they were rescued.
He, however, assured that the whereabouts of the man who bought the children would be uncovered.

… Rescue 16 pregnant teenagers
Parading the suspect before newsmen, the state Commissioner for Police, Mr. Muhammad Katsina, said the suspect had used the NGO as a cover for his heinous activities of encouraging teenage girls to get pregnant and after delivery, they were paid N100,000 on the condition that they would abandon their babies. “You may wish to know that when a search was conducted in the premises being used as an office for an NGO, 16 pregnant teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 19 years, who are at different stages of pregnancy, were seen. Also recovered in the premises was an automatic eight loader pump action gun which is a prohibited firearm.” The police boss also  expressed concern over a missing newborn baby who was sold to unknown persons who were yet to be found. He said the child was delivered on November 24 by one Chinaza Nnachi, a native of Ebonyi State, who came to the home when she was stranded during her pregnancy. Katsina said efforts to locate the child proved abortive as the suspect had refused to lead the police to where the baby was being kept. “So far he has taken us to Abia State, where he said the baby is but we were unable to recover the baby; though investigations are still ongoing, the presumption at the moment is that the baby may have been used for ritual purposes.” The Imo State police boss alleged that the suspect was a gun runner who had been arraigned for unlawful possession of firearms. “It is pertinent to mention that the suspect was arraigned before an Owerri Chief Magistrate Court 1 in November 2013 for the offence of conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms.” The police also found 10 unregistered vehicles which the suspect claimed to own; the commissioner however said Ezuma could not provide any proof of purchase or ownership of the vehicles. He warned parents and guardians to be vigilant and ensure that their children do not fall prey to exploiters, adding, that the command would continue in its campaign to ensure that the business of trading in unborn babies in the state was eradicated and the perpetrators brought to book.