A 28-year-old man, yesterday, described how he persuaded his spouse to sell their two-year-old child in order to generate funds for him to travel out of the country.
At the Isolo General Hospital in Lagos, a worker named Uchenna Eziekwe and his wife Chineye, 22, were detained while seeking information about how to sell their infant son.
Benjamin Hudenyin, a spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, described their arrest process, saying that it took place on July 9, 2024.
He said: “About 2:45 p.m., 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.
“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. The baby was rescued. Upon interrogation, the couple said they decided to sell the baby to enable the man to travel to Canada for greener pastures. However, investigation is ongoing.”
In an interview with journalists, Eziekwe said that he made the decision to sell the child and blamed the harsh economy for his actions.
He said: “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 muted 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.”
