The Festac Police Division of the Lagos State Command, has arrested a Liberian, Daniel Barnney, for allegedly selling his nine-month-old son Emmanuel, to a 43-year-old childless woman, Ekah Richard, for N250,000.
Apart from Barnney, one Pastor Samuel Osavitu and an orphanage staff, Alhaji Sunkanmi Adamu, have also been arrested over the same issue.
It was Barnney’s Nigerian wife, Ijeoma Ndoku, who raised the alarm over the sale of the child and
his plans to sneak to Ghana last month, which led to his arrest at the
Mile 2 area of the state on February 12, 2016, while the baby was
recovered from Richard.
Ndoku had told the police
that she and Barnney have been quarrelling because she did not allow him
to take the baby to his aunt, who she had never seen before debunking
Barnney’s claims of her abandoning the child, accusing him of fleeing
with the boy on their way to buy groceries.
The
32-year-old Barnney, who admitted to have received N250,000 from Richard
through Adamu, said the money was given to him to start a business.
He
denied selling the baby, claiming that his wife abandoned the child. He
said since he could not cater for the boy alone, he took him to an
orphanage.
“It’s a lie! I didn’t abandon my
baby. He said he wanted to hand the baby over to his aunt. I said it was
okay since his aunt was now in Nigeria. I said it will give me
opportunity to look for a job and support the family because he has not
been taking care of us.
For over three
months, he has been saying he does not have money to take care of me and
my baby but he usually had money to buy drinks and cigarettes. He could
not even bring out N150 for me to buy pampers for our baby.
Even
when I wanted to take the baby to the hospital, I usually went and
borrowed money; other times, our neighbours will give me money to cater
for the baby.
He used to get drunk and
vomit. When I complained, he would bring out iron rod and hit it on my
head. I fell down once, tried to go and open the door, but he dragged me
back.
I didn’t know his plan was to sell
our baby. I said I wanted to see his aunt. He said if the aunt knows
that I am around, she wouldn’t collect the baby. He asked me if I wanted
the baby to die, I said no.
I learnt of
his plans to sell our baby from his boss. She (the boss), told me that
Daniel was planning to sell my son for N150,000. She said that Daniel
said after selling the baby, he would leave for Ghana. I didn’t believe
her.
The woman said I should come back
around 4pm, so that I would hear the story from some of her assistants. I
told Daniel’s friend. He doubted the story too, so he followed me.
It
was in his presence that the woman told us everything. She said she
became curious and concerned after she noticed Daniel was always with
the baby. When she asked, Daniel told her that I abandoned the baby and
ran away.
She asked for my number, so that she could speak to me, but Daniel refused. That was when she knew Daniel was lying.
I told her that Daniel told me that the baby was with his aunt. She said that was part of the reason she withheld his salary,” Ndoku said.
Richard,
who claimed that she adopted the child, said she never knew the
adoption process was illegal. She said she was advised by the pastor to
adopt a child so that God can open her womb.
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