Mrs. Lucia Ngwe Mbungson, erstwhile Principal of Government Bilingual High School Nkambe in the North West Region, is currently serving an 11-year jail term at the Buea Central Prison since, following a judgment of the Buea Court of First Instance on the Tuesday December 24, 2013 in a child trafficking case that pitted the convict against the State of Cameroon.
The 48-year old woman was found guilty of child trafficking according to Section 5 of the Law of Child Trafficking and Slavery in Persons by the Buea Court and a fine of FCFA 1.5 million. She was also forbidden from any decoration or from being a guardian or accessor for a period of ten years. Meanwhile, the child in question is being catered for since May 2013 at the HOTPEC Orphanage in Mile 14, Buea. The Buea High Court will liaise with the Nigerian Consular services to locate the biological parents of the baby. The baby could also be adopted with the exception of the lady incarcerated or her family member or any of her associates.
The child trafficking saga started in May 2013 when Mrs. Lucia Ngwe was arrested at the Mount Mary Health Centre where she took her supposed sick child. She could not breastfeed the child but preferred artificial milk. This raised the eyebrows of the hospital matron who alerted the police. Police investigations and medical reports later showed that there is no blood link between the baby and the supposed 'mother'.
Mrs. Ngwe is reported to have travelled to Nigeria to seek traditional treatment to conceive after 19 "unsuccessful years". Reports say she was made to understand that she was pregnant and travelled again to Nigeria to see another woman for delivery. However, during investigations, she was however unable to show proof of delivery documents or even name the hospital where she is said to have delivered in Nigeria. In spite of arguments put up by her Counsels, the Court found mitigating circumstances incriminating the accused. The convict has up to 10 days from the December 25 to appeal.
