The Anambra State Government, through the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, has arrested a 38-year-old woman, Chinyere Chukwu, for attempting to sell her two sons.
Chukwu, a resident of Okija in the Ihiala Local Government Area, allegedly collaborated with her 17-year-old daughter, Joy, in the attempt to sell the children, citing economic hardships.
During the interrogation, Chukwu, who has 11 children, claimed that her inability to provide for all of them led her to consider selling two of her sons.
The state Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, along with security operatives, apprehended the suspects after posing as potential buyers when information about the transaction reached the ministry.
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Chukwu admitted to the plan, stating, “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.”
She mentioned that witnessing her neighbor’s successful sale of a child inspired her to venture into the illegal trade.
Her 17-year-old daughter, Joy, explained that the intention was to use the proceeds from the sale to fund her tertiary education.
Commissioner Ify Obinabo ordered that the remaining children of the suspect be taken into the state government’s custody for proper care.
She also pledged to apprehend the woman’s neighbor who had sold off her child. Obinabo directed that after the neighbor’s arrest, efforts would be made to trace the sold child for retrieval.
The commissioner emphasized the state government’s commitment to eradicating such crimes and warned that anyone found engaging in such acts would be handed over to the police and prosecuted.
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