The Rivers State Police Command has announced a major breakthrough in the fight against human trafficking with the arrest of four individuals, including the suspected leader of a syndicate specialising in the sale of newborn babies for #2,000,000 each.
The alleged ringleader, 54-year-old Blessing Jack, a resident of Timber Road, Igwuruta, Port-Harcourt, was apprehended by operatives of the Command’s C4i Intelligence Unit on October 9, 2025, around 3:00 PM, following technical aided policing efforts.
According to a press release by the Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, the syndicate is accused of exploiting vulnerable young mothers by manipulating them, often using fake scans to convince them their babies died, only to steal and sell the newborns for significant profit.
A conversation intercepted by police between Jack and one Marley Oburu revealed the group’s modus operandi, including a recent incident where an associate had taken a woman’s baby under the pretence of a fatality, and a #2,000,000 payment was confirmed for the transaction.
The police also arrested three other suspects linked to the syndicate: Chinonso Raymond, 30, male, Igwuruta, Port-Harcourt; Chinyere Okorie, 32, female, Pipeline, Rumuoholu, Port-Harcourt; and Nkechi Nwankwe, 50, female, Pipeline, Rumuoholu, Port-Harcourt.
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The police added that preliminary investigation uncovered that the alleged ringleader, Jack, has a history of child trafficking and was previously imprisoned in Calabar for three years for the same offence.
According to the police, all arrested suspects have confessed to their roles in the crime.
The Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, commended the operatives for their diligence and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting vulnerable persons and eradicating human trafficking in the state.
He said an in-depth investigation is ongoing to apprehend other members and fully dismantle the network.
Adepoju urged the public to share any information that could assist in the ongoing investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases.
