By Fawaz Adebisi
A grandmother, Oluchukwu Nwosu, 45, has been arrested by the Anambra State Government for allegedly selling her three-month-old grandchild for N50,000.
The Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Mrs Ify Obinabo, who made the announcement on Sunday, said the ministry acted on a report by the baby’s mother, Ijeoma Nwosu, who accused her mother of selling her baby without her consent.
She said the ministry conducted a month-long investigation and surveillance to track and arrest the suspects involved in the illegal transaction.
She said four suspects were arrested and they would be handed over to the police for prosecution.
She expressed dismay over the health condition of the baby, who was looking sick and underweight.
She said the buyer revealed that she could not afford proper baby food and resorted to feeding the baby with soya bean powder.
The commissioner warned that the state government would not condone any form of unlawful adoption and child trafficking in the state.
She advised parents and guardians to take care of their children and report any case of abuse or exploitation to the ministry.
In her confession, Oluchukwu said she sold her grandchild because of poverty and that it was the third child her daughter had out of wedlock.
She said she met one Tochukwu Asiegbu, who agreed to pay her N50,000 for the baby.
Asiegbu, on his part, said he made a profit of N30,000 from the deal and that he only linked Oluchukwu to the buyer.
The buyer, Evelyn Egwuatu, from Uruagu in Nnewi, said she paid N200,000 to get the baby from one Ebelechukwu Uba, who claimed to be from Ebonyi but lived in Anambra.
Uba, however, denied being the seller and said he was just a middleman between Asiegbu and Egwuatu.
