The Imo State Police Command on Saturday said it has arrested a woman, Chinasa Ukaonu, for selling her day-old baby for N500,000.
Also arrested were two nurses, Dorothy Esomonu and Catherine Eke who assisted the woman to trade her child.
The police spokesperson in the state, Orlando Ikeokwu, told newsmen that the buyer, Chioma Amadi, had also been nabbed by the police.
The police spokesperson said that the arrest of the suspects assisted the police in rescuing the sold child.
Ikeokwu, who described the act as absurd and irritating, disclosed that the state Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Ladodo, had instructed the investigating team to prosecute the suspects at the conclusion of the investigation.
The police spokesperson said, “On August 1, 2019, the operatives of the Command acting on reasonable information arrested Chinasa Ukaonu, Chioma Amadi, Esomonu Dorothy, and Catherine Eke, all females.
“It is important to note that Chinasa Ukaonu, left the house with an eight-month-old pregnancy on the pretense that she was going to stay with her brother who stays at Ubomiri, in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo state.”
“Upon investigation, the husband, one Promise Ukaonu, discovered that his wife was not where she claimed she was going to stay.”
“However, a month later, he received a call that his wife had a stillborn. When he demanded to see the remains of the child, the wife told him that she wrapped it in a nylon bag and disposed of it.”
The police spokesperson continued, “Not satisfied with the story, he reported the matter to the Police which led to the arrest of Chinasa Ukaonu, who then confessed of having sold the child to one Chioma Amadi for the sum of N500,000 with the help of the two nurses, Dorothy Esomonu, and Catherine Eke, who assisted her through the childbirth.”