Police nab Lagos couple attempting to sell their child for visa

By Christopher Oji

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a couple, Uchenna Eziekwe, 28, and Chineye  Eziekwe, 22, for allegedly attempting to sell their two-year-old child.

The couple blamed the current hardship in the country and claimed that they wanted to use the proceeds from the sale to procure travelling documents to Canada. The couple was said to have declared their intention to sell their little boy at the Isolo General Hospital, Lagos State.

It was gathered that the management of the hospital later informed the police at the Islolo Division, after pretending to have agreed to do the bidding of the couple. In their confessional statement to the police, the couple admitted attempting to sell their son for an undisclosed amount. They, however, blamed the current hardship in the country for their actions and begged for forgiveness.

“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. The idea was mine. I convinced my wife, though it wasn’t easy,” Uchenna confessed when he was paraded, yesterday, at the Command Headquarters, in the Ikeja area of the state.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, who paraded the couple, said they were arrested on Tuesday, while attempting to sell the boy. Fayoade, who was represented by the Command’s Spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, said, on Tuesday, around 2.45pm, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the Isolo Police station received an information that a couple went to the Isolo General Hospital and declared their intention to sell their baby boy.

“Upon receipt of the information, operatives from the station moved swiftly to the hospital, where one Uchenna Eziekwe, 28, and Chineye Eziekwe, 22, were about to sell their child. The boy, 2, was rescued.

Upon interrogation, the couple stated that they decided to sell the baby, to enable the man to travel to Canada for greener pastures. However, the investigation is ongoing,” he said.