- A Ghanaian farmer received a 20-year prison sentence for attempting to sell his own son
- Police successfully apprehended Gambo through an undercover operation
- The case highlights the increasing issue of human trafficking in the region
Bashiru Gambo, a 53-year-old farmer, has been handed a 20-year prison sentence with hard labor by the Tarkwa Circuit Court for attempting to sell his son.
Gambo, who pleaded guilty to the charge of trading a person under Section 2(1) of the Human Trafficking Act 694 of 2005, requested leniency from the court.
During the proceedings, Prosecutor Superintendent Juliana Essel-Dadzie emphasized the increasing number of missing persons and urged the court to impose a severe sentence as a deterrent.
The victim, Alexander Kyeremeh, a small-scale miner from Manu-krom near Obuasi, was targeted by Gambo, who resides in Wassa-Abreshia.
On June 27, 2024, police in Wassa-Nkonya received a tip-off about Gambo’s plan to sell his son. The officers, posing as buyers, negotiated with Gambo, who agreed on a price of GH¢80,000 and promised to deliver the victim on July 1, 2024.
On the specified date, Gambo directed the victim to meet the buyers at the roadside in Manu-krom. After pointing out his son to the supposed buyers, Gambo was arrested when the buyers revealed themselves as police officers at the Wassa Akropong Police Station. Gambo confessed to the crime, attributing his actions to financial difficulties.
