An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced Bassey Edem Akpan to five years’ imprisonment for his involvement in the stealing and trafficking of a child.
Gatekeepers News reports that Akpan was sentenced on Friday, October 30, 2026, by Justice Okon Okon, who held that the prosecution had established its case against him.
The convict was among six persons accused of conspiring to steal a child in 2019 and selling the victim multiple times across different states.
Reports said the child, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, was first sold in Abia State for N100,000 before being taken to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where the price increased to N300,000 and later N400,000.
The syndicate subsequently moved the child to Abuja, where the victim was allegedly sold for N1 million.
Akpan stood trial alongside five other defendants, but his co-accused persons reportedly absconded after being granted bail, leaving him as the only defendant to face the full trial.
The case initially commenced in Itu and later moved through Ibiono Ibom before being transferred to Uyo, where proceedings began afresh.
In his judgment, Justice Okon found Akpan guilty of child stealing and sentenced him to five years in prison, effective from the date of judgment.
