Court Remands 65-Year-Old for Alleged Child Trafficking

Nwakuba Helen Chinyere, a 65-year-old woman, has been remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) by Justice Friday Ogazi of the Federal High Court in Lagos. She faces a four-count charge of conspiracy, child trafficking, and child laundering filed by the Zone 2 Command of the Nigerian Police.

Chinyere pleaded not guilty to the charges, which allege that she and others obtained, possessed, and trafficked a one-year-old boy in 2024. The prosecution, led by Mr Eliot Ijie, stated that the child was taken from Lagos to Imo State, where Chinyere allegedly received or harbored him, knowing he had been unlawfully obtained.

The charges contravene the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, the Criminal Code Act, and the Child Rights Act. The court has adjourned the case until August 19, 2026, for a hearing on her bail application.

Previously, Chinyere was charged in February 2025 in a Family Court regarding similar offences involving five children aged between one and three years.