A 28-year-old man, Uchenna Eziekwe, confessed to urging his 22-year-old wife, Chineye, to sell their two-year-old son in order to gather funds for his planned relocation abroad. The couple, residents of Lagos, was apprehended at Isolo General Hospital by authorities on July 9, 2024, as they attempted to negotiate the sale of their child.
Benjamin Hudenyin, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, disclosed that they received a tip-off around 2:45 p.m. about the couple’s illicit transaction at the hospital. Upon swift intervention by officers from the Isolo Police Station, Uchenna and Chineye Eziekwe were arrested, thwarting the sale of their child. Hudenyin added that during interrogation, the couple admitted to the scheme, intending to finance Uchenna’s emigration to Canada. The child was safely rescued, and investigations into the matter are ongoing.
In a statement to journalists, Uchenna Eziekwe acknowledged responsibility for the decision to sell their child, citing severe economic difficulties as the driving factor. “It was a tough choice, but we felt we had no alternative. We believed it would be better for him to be cared for by someone else than to suffer with us. I persuaded my wife due to our desperate circumstances. I work as a laborer on construction sites, and my wife is currently unemployed. It was a difficult decision,” he confessed.
