Police operatives in Rivers State have arrested one ThankGod Ekwueme who allegedly took advantage of the deafness of his wife to sell their three children for N1.5 million.
The suspects who is from Omoku in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of the state sold the three children at Omerelu, a community in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The suspect, whose wife is deaf and dumb, sold the 5-year-old for N700,000, 3-year-old for N350,000 and a day old baby for N500,000.
The sale of the children was facilitated by an herbalist who collected N1.55m from buyers, but paid Ekweme only N350,000.
The herbalist was said to have told the police that the amount he paid to the father of the children was based on their ‘business agreement,’ spokesperson of Rivers Police Command said in a statement issued on Thursday.
She disclosed that Ekweme was arrested after credible information on on the sale of the children.
In a chat with newsmen, Ekwueme said he was intercepted by operatives of OSPAC Vigilante in his community Omerelu, Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state when he was about selling another of his newborn baby.
Ekwueme stated that he was selling the children because he lacked the finances to take care of them.
The suspect disclosed that he was handed over to Elele Police Division from where he was transferred to Commissioner of Police Monitoring unit after he was arrested by the vigilante operatives.
Meanwhile, the mother-in-law of Mr. Ekwueme explained to journalists that before now, the suspect had been lying to her that her grandchildren died after child bearing.
She said the suspect, Ekwueme, was taking advantage of her daughter (his wife) who is deaf and dumb, to perpetrate the act of selling the wife’s children upon delivery.
