A mother in the southeast Nigerian state of Anambra is accused of selling her three-month-old granddaughter for N50,000.
The defendant, Oluchukwu Nwosu, is accused of selling the infant without telling her daughter Ijeoma, who gave birth to the child outside of marriage, about the sale.
This information was disclosed in a statement released on Sunday by Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media assistant to the state’s Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo.
According to Ms. Ikeanyionwu, the commissioner has now saved the child and helped the state police catch the perpetrator.
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The media assistant claimed that Ijeoma, the boy’s mother, had reported that the suspect had “forcefully” sold the child and had refused to speak to her about his whereabouts, prompting the rescue operation.
“The offenders (seller and buyer) were caught after almost a month of consistent intelligence surveillance by the State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare,” Ms Ikeanyionwu added.
According to the statement, the suspect, Mrs. Nwosu, stated in a statement made after her arrest that she was compelled to sell the kid because of their limited money and unable to care for the child.
The grandmother noted that two additional children, both males, were being cared for at an orphanage home in Awka and said that this was the third time her daughter had given birth outside of marriage.
She claimed that they had experienced food insecurity ever since her daughter gave birth to the baby.
She stated that Tochukwu Asiegbu approached her and offered to buy the child for a price.
“Selling and buying”
Mr. Asiegbu, who allegedly resold the youngster, claimed he only earned N30,000 from the venture.
Evelyn Egwuatu, from whom the infant was rescued, claimed that she paid Ebelechukwu Uba N200,000 to purchase the child.
Despite being a resident of Anambra, Ms. Egwuatu is originally from the South-east state of Ebonyi.
According to Ms. Uba, Mr. Asiegbu and Mrs. Nwosu decided to deliver the child to Ms. Egwuatu without consulting the child’s mother, Ijeoma.
According to the statement, the incident took place roughly three months ago and was acknowledged by all “perpetrators of the act”.
The statement also stated that “the perpetrators” had been given to the police for “additional questioning and investigation.”
Commissar responds
The state’s Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Mrs. Obinabo, expressed dismay that illicit adoptions continued to take place in the state despite the state government’s efforts to stop them in a statement made shortly after the kid was saved.
As a result, the commissioner issued a warning that anyone discovered engaging in unlawful adoption in the state going forward will face legal action.
