Oyo State Police Command has apprehended a man identified as Monday Chuckwuka for allegedly selling his one-day-old granddaughter for N700,000.
The suspect was apprehended in his hideout in the Ibafo area of Ogun State based on credible intelligence.
Adewale Osifeso, the state PPRO said the police received actionable intelligence on July 10, 2023, regarding the harvesting of a day-old baby girl from her teenage mother named Sarah Chukwuka, in Oyo town.
The baby was then sold to a criminal cartel operating a baby factory in Abia State.
During an intelligence-led interview, Monday, the father of the teenage girl who gave birth to the baby confessed to the crime. He explained how he took the baby from her mother immediately after birth, under the pretense of finding someone to care for her. The suspect further revealed that he transported the day-old baby to Abia State, where he sold her to the owner of a baby factory for N700,000.
Following a coordinated raid on the baby factory in Abia State, the police apprehended a female suspect named Popoola Bunmi and four other accomplices: Chinwedu Peter, Chidinma Blessing, Chuckwu Christopher, and Favour Chukwu. The suspects were unable to provide satisfactory explanations about the parentage of the babies found at the factory. The police recovered bundles of new birth certificates and equipment for baby deliveries from the premises.
Monday, the suspect, stated that he sold the baby because he could not afford to take care of his teenage daughter and the newborn. He used the money he received from the sale to rent a shop and purchase goods.
Sarah, the teenage mother, claimed she was unaware that her father intended to sell the baby. She stated that herfather had only informed her that he planned to give the baby to someone for nurturing and would return the child after two years.
The suspected buyer of the baby, Favor Chukwuka, revealed that she purchased the baby in response to arequest from a childless couple, whose names were withheld. She admitted to receiving N50,000 as her share for the job.