In desperation to get rid of her unwanted child a teenage
girl has traded off the first fruits of her womb to a couple who also have been
waiting desperately for a fruit of the womb for over six years. According to Vanguard, 17 year old
Tessy Obianua, a secondary school drop-out ate the “forbidden fruit”and was
made pregnant by one of her acquaintances, Shola.
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Some of suspected child traffickers in Ondo;
including Mrs.
Chibuzor Okoye Without the
knowledge of her
parents Mr and Mrs Henry
Obianua , Tessy left
with another man Jude
Azuka
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The shame led her to elope when the pregnancy was five
months old and the protruding tummy was becoming a source of embarrassment for
her and her parents at their Ogbese camp in Akure North area of Ondo State.
Without the knowledge of her parents Mr and Mrs Henry Obianua , Tessy left with
another man Jude Azuka for Onitsha, to escape the prying eyes of neighbours and
others who made jest of her.
The father was said to have been flabbergasted when Tessy
who disappeared with the five-month old pregnancy re-surfaced after nine months
without a baby which was the evidence of the pregnancy. Meanwhile, when Tessy disappeared, the father
had lodged a complaint via a petition at the Police station that her pregnant
daughter was missing and detectives were deployed to smoke her out with the
pregnancy.
But a Police source hinted that Jude who was a neighbour of
Tessy’s parents seized the opportunity of her condition to lure her to Onitsha
where he promised to link her to a “ good Samaritan” that will take care of
her, the pregnancy and even the baby after birth. Tessy was ferried to Onitsha
and put in the custody of Mrs Chibuzor Okoye who housed her until she gave
birth to a baby girl whom she also helped her nurse.
Unknown to Tessy that Jude was one of the agents of Mrs
Okoye who is a child trafficker; she was reportedly given special treatment
throughout her stay with the Mrs Okoye at No 3 Tonny Olisa street Awada in
Onitsha. When she was put in the picture of what would be the fate of her
“unwanted child” Tessy according to the Police source had no choice than to
agree with them.
While Tessy and the little baby were enjoying the luxury
provided by Mrs Okoye, a deal had been struck on how much a desperate couple
who had been looking for a baby was willing to pay on her. Police source revealed
that a drama ensued when the couple came to the house of Mrs Okoye to collect
the baby after the payment of N500,000. Tessy was said to have put up a fight,
vowing she would not let go her baby and it reportedly took the intervention of
Jude who brought her to Onitsha before she allowed the couple Mr and Mrs Sunday
Kalu to go with her.
Sensing that Tessy may have a re-think and probably want to
make trouble, they suggested to both Jude and Mrs Okoye that she (Tessy) should
sign an undertaking that she would never come back for the baby. After that was
done, the baby was taken away and Tessy was settled with N30,000 cash while
some new clothes and shoes were equally bought for her from the sale of her
baby girl.
But the 17-year old girl in an interview denied having
knowledge of the whole transaction saying she was handed N30,000 after she
discovered that her baby had disappeared while she was asleep. She said that
she later learnt from Jude that N500,000 was collected by them from a couple in
need of a baby. Tessy told Vanguard when she was paraded alongside with four
other suspects of the child trafficking and the couple that Mrs Okoye and Jude
should be held responsible for the disappearance of her baby.
She said because she was not in support of the sale of the
baby that was why she exposed the child trafficker to her uncle who informed
the police and she was arrested. The story told by Mrs Okoye differed as she
told Vanguard that Tessy was lying and that she was handed over her share of
the money while Jude also collected his share. She said that N200,000 was given
to Jude out of the sales while she took N300,000.
The burble reportedly burst when Tessy after she re-surfaced
didn’t come with a baby and the father became suspicious and raised alarm.
Vanguard learnt that she later confessed that their neighbour, Jude and one Mrs
Okoye sold her baby girl to a couple in Onitsha, Anambra state. Detectives
later traced both Mrs Okoye and Jude to Onitsha where they were both
apprehended and brought back to Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The five suspects are presently cooling their heels at the
Criminal Investigation Bureau CID division of the state police command.
Vanguard learnt that the couple were later arrested at their No. 8 Uzogwu
street Onitsha.
The Police Image Maker Femi Joseph confirmed the incident
saying that the child trafficker and four others are in their custody
undergoing interrogation. Joseph said “through investigation to Onisha, the
police arrested Okoye,who specialized in child trafficking at No. 3, Tonny
Olisa Street Awada in Onitsha “It was Okoye, who sold the baby girl to the
couple at No. 8, Uzogwu street Onitsha for the sum of N500,000. “She claimed to
have given Jude the sum of N200,000 out of which Jude claimed to have bought
clothes and shoes for Tessy and also gave her N30,000 cash. “Mrs Okoye
thereafter forced Tessy, to sign an undertaking that she would never come back
for the baby.” The suspects, according to him, would be charged to court after
their investigations.”
