A 37-year-old man, Kingsley Oriaku, has been arrested by the police for selling his one-year-old daughter, Nkechi for N190,000 to bury his mother-in-law.
It was gathered that the suspect also abducted and sold his neighbour’s seven-year-old kid for N120,000.
Oriaku was said to have sold both kids at a fake Orphanage Home in Abia State.
He was said to have told his neighbour that he wanted to buy something for the child before fleeing with him.
According to the police, the suspect admitted to the crime, adding that he claimed he was confused, frustrated.
In his confessional statement, Oriaku said: “I know that what I did was not good but then I was confused and frustrated. My wife is the first and only daughter and when her mother died sometime in September and my in-laws gave me an outrageous bill.
“Not knowing what to do, I took my daughter and handed her over to the owner of an orphanage. I got to know her through one of my friends. She told me that she runs an orphanage and that she buys children who do not have parents.
“I remembered her when I had problem with raising money for my in-law’s burial.
“I later had problem with my wife when she found out that I left town with our child. She reported me to the police at Meiran. At the station, I admitted selling off our daughter. We later settled the matter between us.
“Two days later, I tricked my neighbour’s son, Gabriel with sweet, into following me out one evening. Immediately we left our house at Meiran, I headed to the motor park where I boarded a mid-night vehicle to Abia.
“I called the owner of the orphanage before I left Lagos with my neighbour’s son. We had agreed that she would pay me N190,000 but surprisingly when I got to Umuahia, Abia state, she said she can only pay me N120,000 for the boy.”
Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal said it was a clear case of abduction, child theft, adding that the police followed a reported missing child case filed by one Olabisi Yanga in October.
Edgal said the command deployed an undercover team to investigate and they tracked down the suspect to Ajali village in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, where he was arrested.
He said: “The suspect admitted selling his daughter to one lady whom he identified as Adora for N190,000. Adora later sold the same child to the operators of a fake orphanage home in Abia state for N500,000.”
He said a female member of the syndicate has been arrested for her alleged involvement in the illegal sale of children.
He said the two suspects would be charged to court for abduction.
