The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has apprehended Blessing Okonkwo, 24, for selling her three-year-old sibling, Friday Okonkwo, for N410,000.
Blessing confessed to the crime, attributing her actions to the severe economic hardship in the country.
Reports indicate that Blessing deceived her mother, Hauwa Lawan, into believing she was taking her brother to enroll him in a school in Mubi, about 40 kilometers away from their village in Borno State. Instead, she sold him to Efunaya Nabufe, 35, who then trafficked the child to Enugu in southeastern Nigeria.
“I used the proceeds of the crime to buy a grinding machine to start a business and also gave my boyfriend N200,000 to buy items required for our traditional wedding,” Blessing revealed.
Hauwa Lawan, the mother of the victim, recounted the ordeal: “She visited last year and lied to me about enrolling her brother in a school in the city, as there were no good schools in our village. After she took him, I never heard from him. Whenever I called to check on him, she gave me excuses for over a year. I never suspected my own daughter could do this.”
The truth came to light when Blessing took her prospective husband to meet her father in the southeast. Her father demanded to know the whereabouts of the child before considering her marriage proposal. This led to the discovery of her deceit and subsequent arrest by the police.
The case has highlighted the severe economic pressures many face in the country, driving some to desperate and illegal actions.
The police have vowed to investigate further and bring all culprits involved in the trafficking of Friday Okonkwo to justice.