Operatives of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) in a covert operation at the early hours of Tuesday cracked a Child Trafficking Syndicate at Igwuruta, Ikwerre LGA.
One Florence Jonah, a 56-year-old woman was arrested.
She is alleged to have conspired with the father of the child, one Izuchukwu Success to sell him to waiting for buyers at cost of Nine Hundred Thousand Naira (N900,000).
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Upon his arrest, the father reportedly led the Police to Better life Clinic, Eneka, where the child who had been sold, was eventually recovered and handed over to his real mother, Rejoice Izuchukwu.
Both mother and child are said to be in stable condition.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nnamdi Omoni, the suspects arrested in connection with the incident are:
i) Florence Jonah ‘f’ 56yrs
ii) Ogum Ifeoma ‘f’ 22yrs
iii) Beauty Nnodim ‘f’ 25yrs
iv) Isabella Chika ‘f’ 20yrs
v) Blessing Udoh ‘f’ 20yrs
He said the suspects are complying with Investigation and will be charged to court as soon as the investigation is over.
“I Sold My baby Due to Hardship, Inability to Pay for Hospital Bills, Says Father of Day-old-baby sold for N900k”
Said the father of the child
The mother insists she was not part of the deal.
Mother of the boy, Rejoice Uzochukwu who spoke while answering questions from newsmen at the command headquarter who heaped the blame on her hubby said he was pressurized into trading their baby as a result of unfavorable financial circumstances.
She alleged that lack of funds for her upkeep and hospital bills specifically drove him to accept to trade the cute baby.
She lamented that she had to endure hunger as she went into labor without sufficient food and had no money to deposit for the hospital treatments
“I got very weak and unconscious after giving birth because of loss of blood. My husband later told me that our baby had died. But I insisted that she was alive and I demanded that she be handed over to me,” she said.
The baby’s father, Success Uzochukwu admitted that he could not afford to pay the hospital bills which forced him to agree to sell the child to offset his bill.
However, in her account, owner of the clinic where the baby was delivered, Florence Jonah alleged the father of the baby made the arrangements to sell the baby before coming to deliver in the hospital and that the couple were not coerced into selling the child as the father of the baby informed the police.
She claimed he had sought a buyer for the baby to raise funds to complete his wife’s traditional marital rites.
She admitted she received Six Hundred To (N600,000) for the sale of the baby which she was made to transfer to the Police account after her arrest.
Jonah insisted that the nursing mother was aware of the transaction, noting that the mother of the baby had before she gave birth contacted the buyer and that she participated in ensuring that the baby was delivered and handed over to the buyer.
