It
may sound like a fairy-tale or moonlight story told in a remote village
but the truth is that in this age and time in Nigeria’s Centre of
Excellence, Lagos, a registered midwife in the state government-run
hospital is at the moment helping the police to unravel why she bought a
day-old baby boy for N50,000 from his teenage mother who was delivered
of the baby in the health facility.
Initial police investigations
revealed that the baby-for-sale-chain extends beyond the popular
hospital, Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCC), strategically located
at First Gate, along First Avenue, Festac Town, Amuwo Odofin Local
Government Area of lagos state
We exclusively gathered that the 19-year-old
mother of the baby, Chinyere Amechi had fled her parents’ house in Lagos
for almost one and half years during which she got impregnated by her
boyfriend, one Nonso Nnamba and ultimately delivered of the baby, which
she eventually offered the nurse at MCC, Mrs Virginia Nwauzor who in
turn took him to another woman, a 51-year-old member of the syndicate,
Mrs. Rose Ekewe to also trade with.
The deal, however, fell
apart like a pack of cards when Chinyere returned to her parents as a
prodigal daughter. Obviously glad that they eventually found their
daughter that has been missing for months, her parents took her to a
private hospital for medical check-up. The medical examination, however,
revealed that Chinyere had given birth.
Armed with the medical
report, her parents asked for the whereabouts of the baby but she told
them a lie; that the baby had died and buried. Not satisfied with her
explanation, her parents probed further and under pressure, Chinyere
eventually opened up to her parents on how a nurse at MCC gave her
N50,000 to get the baby from her. She also alleged that she gave the
money to her boyfriend and father of her baby who used it to rent a room
apartment at Orile area of the state. With that, the matter was
reported to the Satellite police station which had so far invited and
quizzed the medical director of the hospital, while the trio of Mrs
Nwauzor, Mrs Ekewe and Nonso were arrested and still being detained as
the investigation goes on with the baby still missing.
Chinyere’s
confession also led to the arrest of three other staffers of the
hospital. They include the gynaecologist who took delivery of the baby,
the matron in-charge of the nurses and another lady in the
administrative section.
Realising that their game was up, Mrs.
Nwauzor told the police that she assisted Chinyere to get admitted in
the hospital when she learnt of the pathetic situation that she was in.
She claimed that Chinyere told her that she was a destitute and needed a
home to keep the child once he was born.
Upon delivery, Mrs.
Nwauzor took Chinyere and the new born child to the house of her friend,
Mrs. Ekewe who was living alone in Satellite town. She claimed that it
was Mrs. Ekewe who gave N50,000 to the Chinyere to assist her since she
was a destitute. The amount, she said, was meant to help her get an
accommodation and start up a little business.
When the
police asked Mrs. Ekewe the whereabouts of the baby that was left in her
care, she confessed that she handed the baby over to a childless couple
since she could not afford to take care of the child. She promised to
help the police trace the couple whom she sold the baby to.
However,
a senior police officer on the case who spoke with Saturday Sun,
explained that the police are currently searching for the family who
bought the baby from Mrs. Ekekwe.
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