Lagos Police Arrest Doctor, Birth Attendant, Parents Over Alleged Sale Of Newborn

[00:00:00]gentlemen, let's move straight to our next conversation. What should have been the beginning of a child's life is now the subject of a criminal investigation in Lagos. The state police command has arrested a medical doctor, a traditional birth attendant, and the parents of a newborn baby over the alleged sale of the infant for 2.5 million naira. Police investigations revealed that the 28-year-old mother and her boyfriend allegedly decided against keeping the child after birth and subsequently sought individuals who could facilitate the sale of the baby.

[00:00:39]Ike, this is how did we get here?

[00:00:43]>> Well, um based on the story that we have on our hands, the 28-year-old mother of the baby and her boyfriend decided that they didn't need to keep the baby. So, they already made up their minds what to do with the baby, and through intermediaries, they were looking for who we um buy the baby uh upon delivery. And um they were the baby woman was first taken to a traditional birth attendant, but they had the she had complications um uh and then um she was eventually taken to a private hospital where she was uh uh delivered of the baby through cesarean section. And uh after that, after the delivery, arrangements were concluded with the hospital uh within the hospital premises to hand over the baby to the person who came forward to buy for the sum of 2.5 >> million >> million.

[00:01:49]This thing is becoming rampant in our country.

[00:01:53]People set up homes where men come to sleep with women with the desire of selling the products of such copulation.

[00:02:06]>> Copulation.

[00:02:07]>> You know? So, if I this go on the area where I live, I didn't know that there was a baby factory there.

[00:02:17]All we knew was that okay, they had a high wall. We didn't know that they kept women.

[00:02:24]That men were regularly coming to service them. Men start to them, you know? And then once those children >> [laughter] >> Once they are delivered those babies, they sell.

[00:02:37]>> You know? So, is this is just similar to that.

[00:02:42]Why do you get your girlfriend pregnant when you have no intention >> of keeping >> or keeping the baby. This is utterly immoral.

[00:02:55]And I expect these people to go to to to >> the law.

[00:02:59]>> to go to jail. You know? According to police, efforts to trace the suspect have been unsuccessful as the address and telephone number supplied by the alleged buyer were discovered to be false.

[00:03:11]You know? And investigation has revealed that the baby's mother initially consented to the arrangement.

[00:03:17]>> Okay.

[00:03:17]>> But the deal reportedly fell apart after she allegedly received only 700,000 >> [laughter] >> So, >> Huh?

[00:03:27]Okay.

[00:03:28]>> If they had paid her >> She would have >> more than 700,000 Naira, she wouldn't have complained.

[00:03:35]>> I mean, what do we call? Is this poverty?

[00:03:38]>> Well, well, I think I think in Nigeria value system have seriously eroded in Nigeria today.

[00:03:44]For a lady to go into pregnancy for nine or eight months and now decide Supposing she did she couldn't have another baby for the rest of life. It's possible.

[00:03:53]Supposedly the guy too is unable to impregnate another person again. If you look at it very well, it's either they are both of them are planning to do something sinister or that both of them are out of their mind by doing that. And when you really look at it uh the person who did the purchase too the the medical doctor and the traditional herbalist they if the police do their investigation very well, they will find out the person who who who who burst the baby.

[00:04:20]It cannot be without their knowledge.

[00:04:22]The doctor cannot claim ignorance of the person she's selling the baby to. So it's unfortunately I think the full wrath of the law should should be used on these three characters the the the boyfriend, the girlfriend, the doctors, and the traditional herbalist. All those people who are involved we should use them as an example because it's unfortunate.

[00:04:42]>> Now this issue of child this issue of child baby factory child trafficking do you think stricter penalties you know, if it is can serve as a greater deterrent because this is not the first time >> This is a challenge to the Nigerian law system. We have to enact laws that would deal with this issue.

[00:05:01]The society is becoming more complex and that we have to enact laws that would deal with specific situations. Yes, I know it used to be rampant 3 years ago, 5 years ago. Even in Enugu state I know that in a particular area in Enugu state I know where they used to sell babies until the police went there and cleaned up the place.

[00:05:18]Same thing in Anambra in Imo many These things have been going on for a long time. I think government should take These are the things we expect our lawmakers to debate when they go to the House of Assembly or National Assembly. But because probably some people too are higher up there are culpable.

[00:05:34]>> You never can tell.

[00:05:36]The final thoughts on this one.

[00:05:37]>> Yes, we have to come up with a maybe an amendment of our laws to punish this kind of behavior severely.

[00:05:48]Some of the people that some of the children that these people give birth to are eventually trafficked.

[00:05:55]>> Yes.

[00:05:56]>> And beyond the shores of our country, eventually trafficked.

[00:06:00]To go and become prostitutes in Mali, Burkina Faso, you know, and that is devaluing human life.

[00:06:09]>> Yes.

[00:06:09]>> And that's why this kind of thing is a terrible crime.

[00:06:15]Demands serious punishment.

[00:06:19]>> Serious punishment.

[00:06:20]>> That's the only way we can we can stop it.

[00:06:22]>> Absolutely. All right, gentlemen, we need to go