[img]https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UJUOAgZ2oWk/WEn4XVjnu4I/AAAAAAAAD-0/_qS91omdbwE8q_HCVU69HngjlKF6dth5ACLcB/s280/a.jpg[/img]
Odinaka Ali, a 25 year old woman from
Ezilo, in Ishielu Local Goverment of Area
of Ebonyi state has been arrested for
trying to sell her three children.
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 because she could no longer
take care of them after her husband
abandoned them eight months ago.
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. I 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.
"The three children and their mother
just repatriated from the Enugu Ministry
of Gender and Women Affairs to Ebonyi.
The woman is from Ishielu local
government area of Ebonyi State. When
we interviewed her, she said she is
finding it very difficult to survive let
alone feed her children. She said her
purported husband abandoned her and
the children in April. She said it was very
difficult for her to be carrying the third
child of eight months old for menial jobs
and she became a wanderer. So, the
Enugu state government repatriated her.
Her mother is late and the father is very
old and has nothing doing. Her major
problem is how to eke a living. She said
if the government or public spirited
individual can assist her, she is ready to
take care of her children. If she is
allowed to continue to wander in the
streets, the children are at risk and if
anybody approaches her for the children,
she can easily release the children to the
person and they will become victims of
child trafficking.
So, the Enugu government did not
repatriate her out of malice or hatred but
for safety of the children.” Mr Godwn
said
