A 38-year-old woman, Chinyere Chukwu, has been nabbed by the Anambra state government while attempting to sell two of her sons.
The mother of 11 allegedly conspired with her 17-year-old daughter, Joy to perpetrate the act.
During interrogation, Chukwu, who hails from Okija in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state, admitted to attempting to sell her kids and blamed “economic hardship in the country”.
A security team led by the Anambra State Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, arrested the suspect on Tuesday after posing as buyers for the children when information about the transaction got to the ministry.
Chukwu said, “I have 11 kids and when I could not cater to them, I decided to sell two of them. Since they are boys, the prices were kept at N1 million each but after serious bargaining by the commissioner, who posed as the buyer, we decided to sell them at N1.8 million, instead of the initial N2 million.
“I developed an interest in the business and decided to embark on such adventure after my neighbour successfully sold one of her kids. This was my first attempt at the business.
“I had only two kids for my husband and got the remaining nine children after my husband’s demise and ever since then, I have not been able to give them adequate care and support.”
Meanwhile, Obinabo disclosed that the remaining children of the woman would be taken into the state government’s custody to ensure proper care for them.
She also disclosed that the state government would go after the suspect’s neighbour who had sold off her child so that the child could be retrieved.
The commissioner warned that anyone caught engaging in such acts would be handed over to the police and prosecuted.