Anambra State Government has nabbed a 47-year-old grandmother, Oluchukwu Nwosu and two other suspects for allegedly selling her daughter’s son for fifty thousand naira.
The grandmother who hails from Nkwelle-Awka, was said to have agreed to give the child to one Tochukwu Asiegbu from Izombe in Oguta Council Area of Imo State, who allegedly sold him to another woman.
TNC findings showed that the young girl who gave birth to the boy, Ijeoma Nwosu, had given birth to two other children through unwanted pregnancies while in her parents house, who are now putting up at different orphanage homes in the state.
When she eventually took in the third time, the mother was said to have been mad at her, causing her to disappear from the House to an unknown destination.
However, when it was time for her to give birth, the family was contacted and it was upon coming to the hospital that grandmother met with the suspect, Tochukwu, who offered to buy the baby, as she claimed they had no means to take care of him.
When our correspondent spoke to the 47-year-old grandmother, she regretted that Ijeoma had brought her so much suffering through her unwanted pregnancies, noting that the burden of taken care of the babies and the ones she gave birth to herself were too much, hence her decision to take them to the orphanage homes.
Narrating the stress she was put through by her daughter many times during the course of the pregnancy, Mrs Oluchukwu said she considered giving out the baby for the said sum because of the poverty and economic hardship she and her family faced.
Pleading for forgiveness, the grandmother who had earlier denied knowing anything about how the child was sold, said she did what she did because there was no other options for her.
“This is the third time my daughter Ijeoma has conceived outside of marriage.
“Due to our poor income and lack of childcare, we’ve had trouble feeding right from the time my daughter gave birth to the first baby.
“We had no other option than to take the kids to motherless babies home, especially when our daughter refused to tell us who’s responsible for her pregnancy.
“I came across a buyer, one Tochukwu Asiegbu, who approached me, after bargaining, paid me the agreed sum.”
But the said Tochukwu had earlier denied not knowing anything about the transaction, saying he only helped the grandmother and her daughter offset the hospital bills when they had challenges.
However, upon the rescue of the baby, who is now about 3-month old, and the subsequent confessions of the buyer, the said Tochukwu had acknowledged having a hand in the whole ugly episode.
He accused the grandmother of Ijeoma of demanding for N200,000 from the buyer for the baby.
Confirming the incident, the Anambra State Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Hon Ify Obinabo revealed that she had been following up on the case for over two months now, when Ijeoma came and made formal complaint to her about how her own mother sold her baby for N50,000.
According to the Commissioner, every effort to get the suspect who processed the transaction, Tochukwu had failed as he kept on boasting that he can never be caught and always evaded arrests.
Obinabo however revealed that the said Tochukwu was eventually nabbed on Friday, when he came to buy off another newborn baby at Nnewi, whose mother just delivered through Caesarian Section.
The Commissioner also disclosed that the 3-month-old baby sold by the grandmother has been rescued.
She added that those involved in the act have all been nabbed and handed over to the police for questioning, investigation and prosecution.
She said, “Following receipt of the allegation, I quickly swung into action to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
“After barely one month of consistent intelligence surveillance by officials in the Ministry, the offenders were caught.”
Obinabo said the child who was obviously malnourished, will be well taken care of by the State Government to bring him back to good health.
She regretted that incidences of illegal adoption of children is on the increase in the state, despite government’s efforts to put an end to such nefarious activities.
She warned that anyone found involved in any form of unlawful adoption must face legal action.
Meanwhile, the mother of the sold baby, Ijeoma, who was present at the Ministry when all the drama ensued between her mother and other suspects, had wept herself to weakness, at the sight of her malnourished baby.
All efforts to bring her to calm were unsuccessful, as her mother pleaded with her to have mercy and beg the state government on her behalf.
