Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons have arrested two women for selling and buying a day-old baby belonging to a mentally-ill woman in Lagos.
This was disclosed by the Lagos Commander of NAPTIP, Daniel Atokolo, while briefing journalists on Tuesday.
It was gathered that the family of the mentally-ill woman had approached the seller to help get a buyer for the baby.
PUNCH Metro learnt that upon the delivery of the baby, the family members sold it for N350,000.
Our correspondent learnt that the baby was the fifth to be sold by the family members.
Speaking with our correspondent, the woman who introduced the seller to the family (name withheld by NAPTIP), stated that she did so to help the family.
She said, “The family told me that they had a pregnant daughter, who is not mentally stable, and that they had no money to take care of her and the child; so, I was asked to get them someone, who could assist them and I invited the buyer (name also withheld by NAPTIP), who I know was capable of taking care of the baby.
“The family demanded N350,000, which was paid to them and the baby was handed over to the buyer. I didn’t collect money from the two parties; I just wanted to help the family to get someone, who would help them to take care of the child. This is my first time of doing this; I did not do it for monetary gain.”
However, the 45-year-old buyer (name withheld by NAPTIP), who stated that she had been married for over 10 years without a child, said she bought the baby to solve her problem.
She said, “I have been married for 10 years and I have tried different means, including spiritually and medically to conceive, but all to no avail and my marriage and home are breaking.
“After looking around and I did not know what to do, I told my friend, who introduced me to the family, about my predicament and that I wanted to adopt a child I could have as my own and train.
“After explaining things to her, she said she did not have any child that I could adopt, but she later called me that there was a family that had someone, who was pregnant, and that the family was not capable of taking care of the child and that was when she brought me in.
“She called me around November 2019 that the lady would give birth in January and I started preparing for the arrival of the baby. During that period, I took a treatment that made me look as if I was pregnant; so, I used that opportunity to take the child even though my husband was not aware of it because he was not around.”
The agency also paraded a 54-year-old Lebanese, who was arrested for trafficking in a mother of three to Lebanon to take care of his mother.
It was gathered that the Lebanese (name withheld by NAPTIP) sometime in October 2019 trafficked the victim, who was received by an agent in Lebanon, where she was exploited as a domestic help.
The victim, who was made to do various menial jobs in Lebanon, however, complained to her husband about how she was being treated.
PUNCH Metro learnt that upon the complaint, the victim’s husband approached the Lebanese to return his wife to Nigeria, but he allegedly refused and demanded a replacement before he could return the victim to the country.
However, the victim’s husband approached NAPTIP, which facilitated her rescue and repatriation to the country.
Speaking with our correspondent, the 34-year-old victim (name withheld by NAPTIP), who noted that she had heard about greener pastures outside the country, said the suspect promised to pay her $2,000 monthly.
She stated, “I have heard that if someone leaves Nigeria for other countries, she will make it; so, a friend introduced me to the Lebanese and he told me that I would help him to take care of his mother and that I would be paid $2,000 monthly; but when I got there, I was transferred from one family to another.
“I was made to do menial jobs without being paid. I was made to work like a slave and being given leftovers to eat and sometimes only bread and tea without milk; some of the grown-up sons of the woman I was working for attempted to sexually assault, me but I resisted.
“One of the families I worked for wanted to collect my phone but I told them that I could not do without speaking with my children; so, I was taken to another family, which allowed me to use the phone at night when I had finished my work.
“When I could no longer bear the pain, I begged my agent that I wanted to come back to Nigeria, but he said he could only release me if I find someone else to replace me, but I could not do that because I did not want another person to experience what I suffered there.
“I told my husband to find a way to get me out of the country and he contacted NAPTIP, which helped to rescue me.”
The victim, however, urged members of the public seeking greener pastures outside the country to have a rethink.
“I want to thank the Nigerian government for helping me to come back home and I want to beg people out there to stay in Nigeria and not to go to other countries, because Nigeria will still become a better place to live in,” she added.
However, the Lebanese stated that he only helped the victim, who approached him, to get a job.
He said, “When I came back to Nigeria last year, one of my friends said her friend needed a job and she brought her to me. When she came, I asked if she was married or had a child, but she said she was not married and did not have kids, and I asked if she wanted to work in Lebanon and she said, yes.
“I told her that I did not want any trouble, but she brought her brother to beg me and I told her to get a passport, which she did, and when she got to Lebanon, she called me and was thanking me and I told her to do her job well.
“After working for a while, she said she did not want to work again and I asked her if she would come back to Nigeria, but she pleaded that I should find another job for her in Lebanon.
“So, I helped her to get another family to work with and she was treated well. I only helped her to get a job.”
The NAPTIP commander urged Nigerians to scrutinise job offers by foreign benefactors and also do self assessment of their qualifications before accepting such offers, adding that the agency would investigate the suspect’s activities.
He urged Nigerians to explore legal means of adoption instead of engaging in the sale of babies.
Atokolo said, “The agency is currently investigating the Lebanese’s activities to ascertain his possible involvement in trafficking in Nigerians to his home country for exploitation.
“NAPTIP urges Nigerians not only to scrutinise job offers made by foreign benefactors, but also do self assessment of their qualification to fill roles in the proposed opportunities.
“The agency also calls on Nigerians to explore legal means of adoption as the purchase or sale of babies is a crime that is punishable under the law.”

By Oluwatosin Omojuyigbe