A 53-year-old farmer, Bashiru Gambo, has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labor by the Tarkwa Circuit Court in Ghana for attempting to sell his son. Gambo pleaded guilty to the charge of trading of person, contrary to section 2 (1) of the Human Trafficking Act 694 of 2005.
Superintendent of Police Juliana Essel-Dadzie, prosecuting, told the court that the victim, Alexander Kyeremeh, is a small-scale miner residing in Manukrom near Obuasi. Gambo, the biological father, lived in Wassa-Abreshia, near Wassa Akropong in Ghana.
The court, presided over by Mrs. Hathia Ama Manu, heard that police in Wassa-Nkonya received a tip-off about Gambo’s plan to sell his son. Undercover police officers posed as potential buyers and negotiated with Gambo, agreeing on a price of GH¢80,000 for the son.
Gambo accompanied the undercover officers to Manukrom, where he had arranged to meet his son. After identifying his son to the officers, they all boarded a vehicle together. Once the vehicle was in motion, the officers revealed their identities and arrested Gambo.
At the Wassa Akropong Police Station, Gambo admitted to the offense in his caution statement, claiming economic hardship as his motivation for attempting to sell his son.
The prosecution appealed for a strict sentence, citing an increase in missing persons cases in the area. The court subsequently sentenced Gambo to 20 years imprisonment with hard labor.
