A shocking case of baby trafficking has emerged in Port Harcourt, with a mother and midwife arrested following the sale of a newborn for N400,000. The incident has raised serious concerns about child exploitation and desperation among vulnerable communities.
Happiness Monday, the mother of the sold baby, revealed in an interview that she decided to sell her newborn due to extreme poverty and lack of support. Monday, originally from Akwa-Ibom, had moved to Port Harcourt to find work but faced numerous hardships. After being abandoned by her partner and displaced by a flood, she found herself without shelter or means to care for her baby.
Monday explained, “I came to Port Harcourt to hustle, but everything fell apart when a flood chased me away from my home. I ended up living with a man who later rejected the pregnancy. When he left in September 2023, I was left with no support. After my house rent expired, I had to move into an uncompleted building. When I came back from antenatal care one day, the building was locked up. With no place to stay and no way to feed my baby, I turned to this midwife for help. She said she could find someone to take the baby for N400,000. After the baby was born, someone came to take her, but I never saw their face. I just hoped they would care for her and not harm her. I used part of the money to rent a new place, paid off some debt, and saved the rest with the midwife, hoping to start a business.”
Success Igwe, the midwife involved, admitted to her role in the transaction. She claimed this was her first time selling a baby and said she received N50,000 for delivery charges from the total N450,000. The remaining N400,000, she said, was handed to Monday.
Igwe explained, “This was the first time I was involved in selling a baby. I gave out the baby for N450,000, and I kept N50,000 for delivery charges. The rest went to Happiness. The pregnant teenager who was found with me came from Akwa-Ibom. Her sister brought her here, saying she was going to a convention and that the girl was pregnant. I gave her some medicine because she had a fever when she arrived. Two days later, the police came and arrested us.”
The case came to light after an intelligence report led police to a suspected baby trafficking ring operating in Rumuokwurusi, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area. On July 6, 2024, police rescued a 17-year-old pregnant teenager and apprehended both Monday and Igwe. The teenager, identified as Margret Okonide, could not provide further details due to a language barrier.
This disturbing incident underscores the urgent need for better social support systems to prevent such desperate measures by vulnerable individuals.
