A magistrate court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced one Goodness Thompson and Kperebong Emmason to 24 years imprisonment with hard labour for stealing and trafficking.
The two, alongside a third culprit, one Sunday Jonah, who died while in prison custody, according to the court, sold a two-year-old boy, Etim Gospel George, for N350,000.
The two who were convicted on a three-count charge bordering on child stealing, conspiracy and trafficking of Etim Gospel George on October 18, 2018 at Komkom village in Oyigbo Local Government Area were found guilty by the court.
Our correspondent reports that the boy is yet to be found till date.
In her judgement, Chief Magistrate Felicitas Amanze found Goodnews Thompson (the 1st Defendant) and Sunday Jonah (2nd Defendant) who died in custody, and Kperebong Emmason (3rd Defendant) guilty of stealing and selling little Etim George at the sum of three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) naira.
The Court found them guilty under section 39 of the Child Right Act, for stealing an only son of one Mary Gospel George, a widow who lost her husband sometime in 2019 in a pipeline fire outbreak at Komkom in Oyigbo Local Government Area.
The Magistrate sentenced the convicts to 7 years imprisonment on count 1, 7 years on count 2, and 10 years on count 3; making a total of 24 years imprisonment with hard labour, which will run consecutively.
