A 45-year-old woman, Oluchukwu Nwosu has been arrested for allegedly selling her three-month-old grandchild for N50,000.
The Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in Anambra State, Mrs Ify Obinabo, disclosed this at a news conference in Awka on Sunday.
Obinabo said that the baby had been rescued following consistent intelligence report and surveillance that lasted almost a month.
“The rescue operation followed a report by Ijeoma Nwosu, who claimed that her mother, Oluchukwu, forcefully sold her baby soon after he was born and refused to tell her the baby’s whereabouts.
“Following receipt of the allegation, the ministry immediately took action to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
“Four suspects involved in the crime have been apprehended and will be handed over to the police for questioning and further investigation.
“It is sad that the baby is looking sick and underweight.
“According to the buyer, she has no money to buy proper baby food and she resorted to feeding the baby with soya bean powder,” she said.
The commissioner frowned at the continued practice of illegal adoption in the state, in spite of the government’s efforts to put an end to it.
She warned that perpetrators of unlawful adoption would be made to face legal action.
Speaking with newsmen, Oluchukwu pleaded for forgiveness, saying that the baby she sold was the third child her daughter, Ijeoma, had outside wedlock.
“We are poor. There is no money to feed and take care of ourselves and the children.
“So, when I met one Tochukwu Asiegbu, we bargained and agreed that he would pay N50,000 and he paid me the money,” she said.
Also, Asiegbu said his profit from the deal was N30,000, adding that he only connected Oluchukwu to the buyer.
The buyer, one Evelyn Egwuatu, from Uruagu in Nnewi, said she paid N200,000 to obtain the baby from one Ebelechukwu Uba, who hails from Ebonyi but is resident in Anambra.
Uba, however, said he was just a middleman, adding that Asiegbu and Oluchukwu made the decision to sell the baby to Egwuatu.