Segun Atanda/
A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the remand of a 65-year-old woman, Nwakuba Helen Chinyere, over allegations of conspiracy, child trafficking and child laundering involving a one-year-old boy.
Justice Friday Ogazi ordered Chinyere’s remand in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) after she pleaded not guilty to a four-count charge brought against her by operatives of the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos.
At her arraignment on Thursday, police prosecutor Eliot Ijie told the court that the defendant, alongside others, allegedly unlawfully obtained, possessed and trafficked the one-year-old boy, whose identity was withheld, sometime in 2024.
Ijie alleged that the child was taken into the defendant’s possession in Lagos before being trafficked to Imo State.
The prosecution further alleged that Chinyere received or harboured the child despite knowing that he had been stolen or unlawfully acquired.
According to the prosecutor, the alleged offences contravene provisions of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015; the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004; and the Child’s Rights Act, 2003.
Chinyere, whose counsel was absent due to bereavement, consented to having the charge read to her and pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
Following her plea, Ijie asked the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant pending the determination of the case.
Justice Ogazi subsequently adjourned proceedings until August 19 for the hearing of Chinyere’s bail application and ordered that she remain in NCoS custody.
The Federal High Court proceedings mark a fresh turn in a case that had earlier come before a Lagos Chief Magistrate’s Family Court.
Chinyere had previously been arraigned in February 2025 alongside six others — Ibezim Chioma, 57; Chinasa Echelibe, 52; Sunday Okputu, 45; Ngozi Ifekwuna, 52; Faith Sunday, 21; and Sunday Uchim, 45 — in charge number ID/5904/MB/2025.
The defendants faced a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, human trafficking and child laundering. They were accused of trafficking five children aged between one and three years.
Chinyere was, however, initially excluded from prosecution following legal advice issued by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions in April 2025, which found at the time that no offence had been disclosed against her.
The case took another turn after the file underwent further review.
In revised legal advice dated January 21, 2026, the DPP recommended that Chinyere be prosecuted after concluding that a prima facie case had been established against her.
According to the reviewed advice, investigators allegedly recovered one of the children from Chinyere’s custody.
The DPP also cited her statement to investigators in which she allegedly admitted having custody of the child since August 2024 without the requisite legal documentation from the appropriate authorities.
The allegations against Chinyere have not been proven, and she remains presumed innocent unless and until convicted by the court.
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