A 48-year-old woman named Oluchukwu Nwosu was arrested by the police for allegedly selling her three-month-old grandson for N50,000 in Awka, Anambra State.
The suspect, Oluchukwu Nwosu, allegedly sold the newborn without informing her daughter, Ijeoma, who gave birth to the child out of wedlock.
Following four weeks of consistent intelligence surveillance by the State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare in the state, the offenders (seller and buyer) of the newborn baby were caught,” Ms Ikeanyionwu, the ministry official, disclosed.
The suspect, Mrs Nwosu, speaking after her arrest, claimed that she was forced to sell the baby due to their low income and inability to care for the baby.
The evil grandmother said this was the third time her daughter had given birth to a child outside wedlock, pointing out that two other children- also males- were being cared for at an orphanage home in Awka.
She said that they struggled to feed from the time her daughter gave birth to the child, claiming that a man, identified as Tochukwu Asiegbu, approached her and agreed to buy the child at the cost.
On his part, Mr Asiegbu, who reportedly resold the child, said he only made a profit of N30,000 from the business.
However, Evelyn Egwuatu, from whom the baby was retrieved, said she paid a woman, Ebelechukwu Uba, N200,000 to buy the child.
Ms Egwuatu resides in Anambra but hails from Ebonyi, another state in the South-east.
Ms Uba, on her part, said Mr Asiegbu and Mrs Nwosu made the decision to deliver the child to Ms Egwuatu without the involvement of Ijeoma, the child’s mother.
The statement said all the “perpetrators of the act” agreed that the incident occurred about three months ago.
The evil-doers have been handed over to the Nigerian Police Force for further interrogation and prosecution.
