An Anambra woman identified as Mrs. Chukwu in collaboration with her 17-year old daughter have been arrested over their plan to sell off her two sons.
The 38-year-old mother of 11 who hails from Okija in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra, gave the reason for her action as recent economic hardship in Nigeria.
Mrs Chukwu revealed during her interrogation at the Women Affairs Ministry in Awka, the state capital, that she had 11 kids and decided to sell two of them when she could no longer cater for them.
Her 17-year-old daughter identified as Joy added that their plan was to use the proceeds of the trafficking to advance her tertiary education.
According to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, who 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.
In Mrs Chukwu’s words, “I have 11 kids and when I could not cater forthem, 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 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.”
However, the commissioner ordered that the remaining children of the suspect be taken into the state government’s custody for proper care.
She vowed to also arrest Mrs Chukwu’s neighbour who is said to have sold off her children too.
She 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 went ahead to warn that anyone found engaging in human trafficking would be handed over to the police for prosecution.
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