Nigeria: Airline crew foil baby trafficking on Lagos-Banjul bound flight
By Chinyere Ogbonna – It took sensitive and vigilant Air Peace cabin crew members to foil attempts by two women to traffic a three-month-old baby boy on the airline’s Lagos-Banjul flight. According to sources the suspected traffickers were exposed mid-flight when the airline’s crew members observed a baby crying unattended to.
We gathered that attempts by one of the suspected traffickers, who claimed to be the mother of the baby to soothe him failed. There were also reports that the crew members suggested to the suspected trafficker to breastfeed the baby and she declined.
Scared that the baby’s cry was attracting the attention of passengers aboard the flight, the woman who claimed to be his mother requested for water from the crew. The crew, however, noticed that the alleged mother was fumbling in giving the baby the water.
Suspicious that the baby was either stolen or being trafficked, the crew summoned the alleged traffickers to the back of the aircraft for questioning. The alleged traffickers allegedly told the crew members that the baby was a child from a surrogacy arrangement.
The suspected trafficker being dissatisfied with the alleged mother’s response, the crew notified Air Peace team at the Banjul International Airport in The Gambia of the development.
When the flight landed in Banjul, Air Peace staff accosted the two alleged traffickers. Sources claimed that when the two women were separately questioned, and their responses on how they came about the baby were conflicting.
On that note, it was gathered that Air Peace staff in Banjul, quickly gathered; and called for the intervention of Banjul International Airport (BIA) Police Station in The Gambia and the suspected traffickers were promptly arrested.
Subsequently, there were alleged reports that medical examinations conducted by security operatives in Banjul showed no relationship between the baby and the suspected trafficked baby. In a twist, the two women said that, claimed that the baby was being taken to his father in Banjul. The alleged father, it was gathered, told security operatives that the baby was his. He, however, could not provide documents at the police station in Banjul to prove his claim. Security operatives in Banjul asked the father to undertake a DNA test to prove his claim.
The alleged father told the police that the DNA test would be conducted in Nigeria, it was learnt. A source told newsmen that The Gambia Police rejected the alleged father’s decisions to conduct the test in Nigeria, insisting that they could not trust the medical result from the country and insisted that the DNA test be carried out in The Gambia.
Reports, however, claimed the alleged mother of the baby again changed her account at the police station in Banjul. She allegedly claimed the baby was handed over to her by a distant relation who got pregnant for a man she could not identify.
A source, however, said the alleged traffickers had been granted bail by the police in Banjul in deference to The Gambia’s laws limiting the detention of suspects yet to be charged to court to 72 hours. An unidentified Gambian, it was gathered, took the suspects on bail.
A source told journalists that the police in The Gambia were still investigating the matter to secure enough evidence to charge the suspects to court. Another source said the baby, had since been transferred to SOS Child Care Center in Bakothe in The Gambia for proper care pending conclusion of investigation.
When contacted for comments on the development, Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Chris Iwarah confirmed the incident. He, however, refrained from confirming the names of the suspects and the baby, insisting that was still being investigated by relevant security agencies in Nigeria and The Gambia.
“Investigation into the matter is ongoing and we trust that security operatives would be able to identify the true parents of the boy who appears to be three months old. Mr. Iwarah however, pledged that the airline would cooperate with the relevant security agencies to unravel the true identity of the baby.
“For our part, we are ready to assist the relevant security operatives and agencies with any information within our purview to ensure the case is brought to a proper conclusion and we will continue to ensure that our flights are safe at all times for our esteemed guests.”
He assured that the airline and its crew would remain vigilant to ensure the safety of its guests as well as continue to assist the society in exposing suspected criminal acts. Iwarah said: “On Air Peace Lagos-Banjul flight P47560 on Monday, June 4, 2018, our vigilant and experienced crew observed a baby crying inconsolably. The crew members, therefore, approached the supposed mother to breastfeed the crying baby. She declined, giving a flimsy excuse for her decision.
“Given the situation, our crew summoned the alleged mother to the aft of the aircraft for questioning on her relationship with the baby and she claimed the baby boy was a product of a surrogacy arrangement and was being taken from Nigeria to Banjul in The Gambia. Unconvinced, the crew informed our ground staff in Banjul of the development”.
“The alleged mother of the baby eventually asked our crew for water to give to the baby when he would not stop crying. Our crew members, however, observed that the alleged mother of the baby was struggling with giving the baby the water. At that point, our crew offered to assist and took the baby from the supposed mother. But when our crew attempted to return the baby to the woman who claimed to be the mother, the baby expressed fright and unwillingness.
“When the flight eventually landed in Banjul, the two women travelling together with the baby were separately questioned and contradictions were observed in their different accounts. At this point, we had no choice than to report the case to security operatives at the Banjul International Airport, who took in the alleged mother of the baby for questioning to establish the true identity of the baby she claimed was hers’.
