The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Federal Capital Territory Command apprehended a man, Chinana Telpesa Solomom Tali, for attempting to sell his 8-year-old son, Ushafa Tali, for the sum of N20 million.

The suspect, along with his accomplice, Pius Aondoakaa, was presented to the public by FCT Commandant Olusola Odumosu at the Command headquarters on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.

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According to Odumosu, the command’s intelligence unit took action on January 10, 2024, arresting Tali and Aondoakaa for conspiring to sell Ushafa.

Odumosu explained, “The FCT Commands’ vigilant intelligence personnel, in their proactive efforts in January 2024, intercepted a father who conspired with another to trade an eight-year-old boy, whom he claimed to be his child, for the sum of 20 million naira in the FCT.”

Acting on a tip-off, the suspects were placed under surveillance. Aondoakaa, seeking a higher bid, rejected an offer of 12 million naira and insisted on 20 million naira for the boy.

He also offered a girl child for 15 million naira, claiming the father wanted to use the proceeds to support his other children.

Following this, the alleged father, Mr. China Telpesa Solomon Tali, was lured to Abuja on January 10, 2024, by undercover personnel posing as buyers.

The transaction was finalized at a garden, resulting in the arrest of Tali and the recovery of the eight-year-old Ushafa Tali.

Both suspects, identified as Tiv by tribe and from R.C.M Abeda Mbadyul village in Logo LGA, were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation and prosecution.

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Meanwhile, the boy is set to be reunited with his mother.

In an interview with journalists, Mr. Tali justified his actions, attributing the decision to the challenging economic conditions.

He stated, “The hardship condition pushed me into agreeing to sell my son for 20 million naira to train the remaining five of my children.”

NAPTIP representative Oseafiana Chineyere assured that the agency would conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.