The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Felicia Nwamkpuma, has described as false circulating media reports that she has been in police detention since Monday this week over the alleged sale of a baby for N25 million.
A 29 year old woman in the state, Susan Nweze and her family had alleged that her new born baby was sold for N25milion by the state police command in collaboration with some other security agencies and the state Ministry of Women Affairs after the baby was born.
Susan’s family petitioned the force zonal headquarters of the police in Enugu and the Assistant Inspector General of Police in the zone invited the parties mentioned in the petition, including Nwamkpuma who was mandated to come with the baby.
The Commissioner said she was immediately asked to go back with the baby by the AIG after the presentation on Tuesday this week, that which she went for the invitation.
She said the ministry was keeping custody of the said baby boy in line with the child rights act that empowers it to do so for vulnerable children and urged the public to disregard the media reports alleging that she has been in detention since Monday this week.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, she said The baby is with the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Ministry of Women Affairs has the statutory rights to ensure that children who are vulnerable, like this case, are protected and kept safe
“On this matter, someone petitioned AIG Enugu and an investigation into the matter is still ongoing. We have been invited to show the baby to show that this baby is with us.
“So, we have taken the baby to Enugu and AIG has seen the baby. We came back with the baby. We were invited to come to Enugu on that Tuesday with the baby and returned back with the baby on that same Tuesday, being 19th August.
“We took the baby from the police to Enugu because they had already given us a handover note.
We took the baby from them and we have to wait for the AIG to conclude his investigation.
“I have been in my office working; I was never arrested. I got an invitation from the police AIG.
I got the letter on the 14th of August that they would like to see the baby. They told me to come with that baby and on Tuesday, we went to see the AIG with the baby and we were told to go back that same day after seeing the baby.
“We are not trying to cover anybody on this matter or pretend that the baby is not with us.
The baby is with us, no baby was sold, the ministry did not conspire, neither did we in any way agree with anybody to sell any baby and the word “sell” is against the child and nature. Babies are not sold.
“So, no baby was sold. The baby is under the Ministry of Women Affairs in a home where the baby is protected and we can’t disclose the name of the home for security reasons.
“Before the police came with a letter, we were informed that a couple was requesting this particular baby, that the mother of the baby said she is financially and emotionally stable to care for the baby.
They said a lot of things in the letter but the Ministry does not just rely on a consent letter from the mother or anybody.
“We said okay, until we see the person who wrote that letter, then we can know the next line of action to take.
The baby was never adopted because when you talk about adoption, it’s a legal term that can be done by the court but when a child is brought to us depending on the vulnerability of the child, the first thing we do is to take custody of this child.
We take some of them to the hospital first so that the child will receive medical care, and for some, we take them straight to motherless babies homes”.
