This Woman was arrested for trying to sell her 3 children.

The 25 year old woman, Odinaka Ali, from Ezilo, in Ishielu Local Goverment of Area of Ebonyi state has been arrested for trying to sell her three children in Enugu State because she could no longer

take care of them after her husband abandoned them eight months ago.

According to Desk officer of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP) in Ebonyi State, Florence Onwa, the lady was arrested by the police after they received a tip-off from a waitress whom she had contacted to look for a trafficker who could buy her children.

The woman has however denied trying to sell her children stating that her arrest was a total frame up and that all she did was to ask the waitress for assistance in paying her house rent. Narrating what happened, she said, “My husband is from Amaekpo Ohafia, Abia State.

I and my husband had issues before and we later reconciled. We did not have any problem when he abandoned us in April this year”. When I stayed few weeks I did not see him, I started doing menial jobs with my little children to enable me feed them. I kept doing this till it became so difficult for me to continue it and I decided to return to my village”.

I didn’t want to sell my children at the initial time because I passed through caesarian operation before giving birth to all of them. I met a girl who sells food in a restaurant and narrated my problem to her and she promised to assist me. l met the girl before, so she asked me to come to her and wait for a woman who will enter into discussion with me.

I waited for the woman and she did not come. I did this three times and I told the girl that I will not come again”. She persuaded me to continue coming and I changed my heart. Before I could notice it, Policemen stormed the place and started asking me what I was doing there and the whereabouts of the three kids I wanted to sell”.

I told the policemen that I didn’t want to sell my babies because I gave birth to them through operations. The policemen asked me to follow them to their station and I refused. They immediately invited a policewoman who came and asked me to follow them to the station, that I should obey before complain and I followed them to the station.

While in the station, the girl who asked me to come to her said I told her to start looking for who will buy my children.”

Godwin Igwe, head of Child Development Department, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has called on well meaning  individuals to assist the woman take care of the children.