The Anambra State Government, via the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, has arrested a 38-year-old mother named Chinyere Chukwu for allegedly attempting to sell her two sons.
Chukwu, a native of Okija in the Ihiala Local Government Area of the state, allegedly collaborated with her 17-year-old daughter, identified as Joy, in an attempt to sell her two sons “due to the economic hardship in the country.”
During the interrogation, Chukwu revealed that, with a total of 11 children, she decided to sell two of them due to her inability to provide for their needs.
The Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo, along with some security operatives, apprehended the suspects on Tuesday after assuming the role of prospective buyers for the children, following information received by the ministry about the transaction.
She 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.”
In addition, her 17-year-old daughter, who is the eldest among the 11 children, explained that the intention behind the plan was to use the proceeds to support her higher education.
In response to the situation, Obinabo ordered the remaining children of the suspect to be taken into the custody of the state government for proper care. She also pledged to apprehend the woman’s alleged neighbor, who had reportedly sold off her own child.
The commissioner further directed that, following the arrest of the neighbor, efforts would be made to trace and retrieve the child through contact tracing.
Obinabo assured the public of the state government’s determination to eradicate such crimes and issued a warning that individuals involved in such activities would be handed over to the police for prosecution.