LAGOS— A 60-year-old self-
acclaimed Pastor, Simon Dike,
and three other persons
were, yesterday, arraigned
before an Ebute-Metta Chief
Magistrate Court in Lagos, for
allegedly selling a month and
18-day-old baby boy for
N60,000.
The accused persons are Joy
Uzochukwa, 27, the mother
of the baby; Margaret
Obinwa, 49, an auxiliary
nurse and Chibuzor
Ogbonna, 50, who was said
to be the father of the baby.
The father of the baby is
facing a two-count charge of
conspiracy in human
trafficking and selling of a
new born baby, Obinwa; the
auxiliary nurse is facing a
one-count charge of
purchasing the baby while
Dike is also facing a two-
count charge of human
trafficking and failure to use
all reasonable means to
prevent the commission of
the offence by the mother of
the baby and the auxiliary
nurse.
The accused persons, who
were brought to the court by
detectives from State Criminal
Investigation Department,
SCID, Panti in Yaba, pleaded
not guilty to the charges.
According to the prosecutor,
ASP Henry Obiazi, “all the
accused persons are
residents of Odongunyan,
Ikorodu and the crime was
committed on January 4, a
day after the baby was born,
at De-Ifes Medical Centre,
Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos.”
Obiazi informed the court
that Uzochukwa went to
meet Obinwa to help her
abort the pregnancy as an
auxiliary nurse but she
encouraged her not to abort
but sell the baby, adding that
Obinwa then introduced
Uzochukwa to Dike, who
wanted to buy the baby. Dike
has been married for 28
years without a child.
The prosecutor said that
Uzochukwa signed an
undertaking not to demand
for the baby after collecting
the money, which she
accepted the offer.
“Uzochukwa left Ogbonna
who impregnated her
because he didn’t take care
of her and married another
man, called Kingsley, who
later hatched the plan to sell
the baby boy to the men of
Oodua Peoples’ Congress,
OPC, that later reported the
case to the police,” the
prosecutor added.
However, the Chief
magistrate, Miss S.O Solebo,
who presided over the case
granted Uzochukwa and
Dike bail in the sum of N100,
000 each with a responsible
surety in like sum, while
Obinwa and Ogbonna were
granted bail in the sum of
N200, 000 each with two
sureties in like sum.
Solebo ordered that the baby
should be taken to Lagos
State Motherless Babies
home on Victoria Island,
Lagos and that Uzochukwa
should be permitted to see
the baby under the
supervision of the matron of
the Home.
The case has been
adjourned, March 13 for
further hearing.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/02/60-yr-old-pastor-3-others-docked-for-allegedly-selling-a-month-old-baby/