A 28-year-old man, Uchenna Eziekwe, and his wife, Chineye, have been arrested by the police in Lagos for allegedly attempting to sell their two-year-old baby.
According to the police, the couple intended to use the proceeds from the sale of the baby to relocate to Canada, where they hoped to find a better life.
They were arrested by policemen from the Isolo Divisional Police Station after being tipped off by the management of Isolo General Hospital.
Uchenna and his wife reportedly declared their intention to sell their baby boy at Isolo General Hospital, in the Isolo area of the state.
It was learned that the hospital management later informed the police at Isolo Division after agreeing to do the couple’s bidding.
The couple blamed the current hardship in the country for their actions and pleaded for forgiveness.
Uchenna, while speaking to journalists, said, “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.”
He admitted that “The idea was mine. I convinced my wife, though it wasn’t easy,” Uchenna confessed when he was paraded at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja.
Lagos State Police spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, who paraded the suspects, said, “On Tuesday, around 2:45 pm, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Isolo Police Station received information that a couple went to Isolo General Hospital and declared their intention to sell their baby boy.”
He added, “Upon receipt of the information, operatives from the station moved swiftly to the hospital, where Uchenna Eziekwe, 28, and Chineye Eziekwe, 22, were about to sell their child.”
“The baby, a little boy aged 2, was rescued. Upon interrogation, the couple stated that they decided to sell the baby to enable the man to travel to Canada for a greener pasture,” Hundeyin said.
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