Ebonyi woman denies selling baby, says it was legal adoption process

DDM News

A 37-year-old single mother, Susan Nweze, from Ebonyi State, has denied claims that she sold her newborn baby for ₦25 million.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the mother of three clarified the situation during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki, where she insisted that her decision to give up her child was made through a documented adoption process and not a transaction for profit.

According to her, she only received ₦700,000 as financial assistance to help her recover after childbirth and not as payment for selling her baby.

Nweze stated, “I did not sell my child. I received ₦700,000, not ₦25 million. It was support following my delivery, and the process was transparent.”

She revealed that she gave birth at the Police Headquarters Clinic and felt overwhelmed by her financial situation, which influenced her decision to give the child up for adoption.

A mother of two older children, a 19-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son, Nweze explained that she could not manage the responsibility of raising another baby without support or a stable job.

“It was a hard decision, but I had to do what I believed was best for the baby. I am not financially or emotionally equipped to raise another child,” she explained.

However, controversy erupted after her family, through their legal representative, Barrister Nzogbu Kingsley, submitted a petition to the Assistant Inspector General of Police at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Enugu.

The petition alleged that Nweze conspired with some police officers to sell the child for ₦25 million and was only given ₦700,000 out of the supposed deal.

The petition further implicated officers of the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the Ebonyi State Ministry of Women Affairs in what the family described as an illegal child sale.

They demanded that the child be returned and an investigation be launched into the roles of the named parties.

Reacting to the allegation, Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Ikeuwa Omebeh, dismissed the petition as baseless.

He explained that the ministry was managing the case under lawful procedures due to the mother’s financial and emotional instability, noting that the adoption process was consistent with legal and child welfare guidelines.

Mrs. Felicia Nwankpuma, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, also denied any wrongdoing.

She said, “The child is in safe custody. No baby was sold. The ₦25 million figure is shocking and entirely false. Everything is being handled according to due process.”

She confirmed that investigations are ongoing to verify the child’s birth records and paternity, as well as to determine whether any misconduct occurred during the process.

As of the time of reporting, the baby remains in the custody of the Ebonyi State Government pending the conclusion of investigations.

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