By Tony Okafor, Awka
A middle-aged woman, Oluchukwu Nwosu, has sold her three-month old grandson for N50,000 in Nnewi, Anambra State.
When apprehended, she blamed economic hardship occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy for her action.
She said the daughter who gave birth to the child had earlier given birth to two children and abandoned the babies for her to take care of.
She said she sold the baby for N50,000, saying the other two sons were being cared for by the state community children’s home in Awka.
Sobbing profusely, she pleaded for forgiveness, saying, “This is the third time my daughter Ijeoma has conceived out of wedlock.
“Due to our poor income 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 was responsible for her pregnancy.
“I came across a buyer, one Tochukwu Asiegbu, who approached me, after bargaining, paid me the agreed sum.”
Confirming the incident, Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, said the three-month-old baby sold by the grandmother had been rescued.
She said the rescue followed report by the mother of the baby, Ijeoma Nwosu, who claimed her mother, forcefully sold her baby soon after he was born and had refused to disclose his whereabouts.
Obinabo added that those involved in the act had all been nabbed and handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution.
She said, “Following receipt of the allegation, I quickly swang into action to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
“After barely one month of consistent intelligence surveillance by officials in my ministry, the offenders were caught.”
Obinabo regretted the growing rate of illegal adoption of children 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 the law.
