By Joe Udo
AWKA (CONVERSEER) – Mrs Chinyere Chukwu, a 38-year-old mother of 11 children, has been arrested for selling two of her children, all boys for N1.8 million in Anambra.
CONVERSEER learned Mrs Chukwu who decided to sell the children for N1.8m instead of N2 million was arrested on Tuesday by the Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.
Findings revealed that the woman who hails from Okija in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state connived with her 17-year-old daughter identified as Joy (who is the eldest of the children), to sell her two sons citing the reason as “due to the economic hardship in the country.”
She explained while being interrogation at the Women Affairs Ministry in Awka, the state capital, that she had 11 children and decided to sell two of them when she could not cater to them.
Her daughter, Joy said that they planned to use the proceeds of the trafficking to advance her tertiary education.
Speaking, Ify Obinabo, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare in the state said she led some security operatives to arrest the suspects late on Tuesday after posing as buyers for the children following information about the illegal transaction obtained by the ministry.
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“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 an 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,” Obinabo
According to SaharaReporters, the Commissioner ordered that the remaining children of the suspect be taken into the state government’s custody for proper care.
Obinabo vowed to also arrest Mrs Chukwu’s neighbour who is said to have sold off her children too.
Obinabo further directed that after the neighbour has been arrested, contact tracing of the sold children would be made to retrieve them, stressing that the state government has resolved to eradicate crimes, especially human trafficking in the state.
She also warned that anyone found engaging in human trafficking would be handed over to the police for prosecution.
