Suspects with the child
By Amah
Uchenna Eziekwe, his wife and the baby
A desperate couple in Lagos has been arrested for attempting to sell their only child to raise money for him to travel abroad.
The suspects, identified as Uchenna Eziekwe (28), a labourer, and his wife, Chineye (22), were arrested while making enquiries on how to sell their baby boy at the Isolo General Hospital, Lagos.
Benjamin Hudenyin, the spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, disclosed that the couple was arrested on Tuesday, July 9, 2024.
“About 2:45 pm on Tuesday, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Isolo Police Station received information that a couple went to the Isolo General Hospital, declaring their intention to sell their baby boy,” Hundeyin said.
“Upon receipt of the information, operatives from the division moved swiftly to the hospital, where Uchenna Eziekwe and Chineye Eziekwe were about to sell their child. Although the baby was rescued, the father confessed to the police that he convinced his wife to sell their two-year-old baby.
“Upon interrogation, the couple said they decided to sell the baby to enable the man to travel to Canada for greener pastures. However, the investigation is ongoing.”
However, Eziekwe told journalists that the decision to sell the child was his, and blamed the harsh economy for his rash action.
“It was a difficult decision, but we had no choice but to sell our baby. We felt it would be better to sell him to someone who can take care of him than to allow him to die of hunger. I mooted the idea and convinced my wife. We had to do it because of hardship. I am a labourer; I go to construction sites to look for work while my wife does nothing. Like I said, it was a hard decision.”
