horror: Man sells two-year -old son for N450,000

A 29-year-old man, Kanayo Awurum, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly selling his son for N450,000 in the Egbe, Ikotun area of the state.                                                                                  Our correspondent gathered that Kanayo, who worked as a painter, reportedly lied to his wife, Kelechi, that one of the women was his relative in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and the boy was going to live with her.

It was learnt that the police had apprehended the three women ─ Nkechi Obi, Cecilia Nwatu and Gladys Nwobodo ─ for allegedly buying the child.

Our correspondent learnt that on Thursday, April 2, 2015, the women, who were working with Kanayo’s friend, identified only as Emmanuel, had visited the man and his wife to purchase the boy.

It was gathered that Kanayo told Emmanuel, who is still at large, that he had some financial difficulties, and decided to sell his son for N450,000.                                                                                                                   He added that his plan was to stabilise his family with the money as his wife was pregnant with another child.

He said, “I met Kelechi in our secondary school days in 2005. It was in 2010 that we started living together. In December 2012, she gave birth to Samuel. We were then living in Owerri, Imo State. I was working as a painter and also acted in movies. I was an upcoming actor so I was not well paid.

“From 2014, I started to have financial difficulties, and I wanted to come to Lagos to hustle. The idea to sell my child came in March 2015 when I finally decided to travel to Lagos. It was a friend, Emmanuel, who linked me to the women. I asked him to lend some money to me and he said I should use what I had to get what I wanted.

“I did not tell my wife that I wanted to sell our child. I lied to her that one of the women who came was my elder sister in Port Harcourt and our son was going to stay with her. My wife did not like the idea, but I convinced her that it was for our good.

“So, when we came to Lagos, we rented an apartment on Oluwaseyi Street in the Egbe area of Lagos. I was paid N450,000 for the boy. That was what I used to pay for the rent.”