‘We Used Our Five-month-old Baby As Collateral’- Couple

An unremorseful father identified as Okechukwu Ibekwe on Wednesday narrated how he in connivance with his wife, Oluchi used their five- month old son, Chidera as collateral for a N400 thousand loan.

The suspect, who is currently in police net for allegedly selling his son for N500 thousand to one Chinelo based in Ihiala, Anambra State, said he needed money to restart life after he was evicted from his shop at Ladipo, Lagos, and also lost his commercial bus to inferno.

According to the 30-year-old suspect, his wife suggested that they use the baby to secure a loan, on grounds that he would collect N250, 000 while N150, 000 would be hers.

Ibekwe said: “I was a mechanic until the building that houses my shop was sold and I was evicted. I was idle for sometime, then someone gave a bus which I used for transport but the bus was consumed by fire.

“Things were very hard and I could not fend for my family. It was at the point of difficulty that my wife suggested that we should go and borrow money from one Chinelo. She’s the one who knows Chinelo and she brought her contact.

“She suggested that we should give the baby to Chinelo and collect money from her. We agreed that I will collect N25,000 so that I can travel, while N150, 000 will be paid to her account.

“That was how I took our son and travelled and I collected my own money. But because her share was not paid early, we started quarreling. I was surprised that while I was still in the village, a lawyer called me and I came to Lagos and was arrested.

“I do not know what Chinelo does, I don’t know if she sells children. I did not sell my son to her. We used him to borrow money and it was my wife’s idea. I do not know where my wife is, Chinelo’s husband has been arrested and he told me that my wife’s N150,000 was paid,” said Ibekwe.

But the suspect’s claims contradicted the position of the operatives of the Lagos State Police Command, who tracked him down to Anambra State and arrested him after his wife filed a complaint at the Iba Police Post, Iba Town, against him.

According to the police, the incident occurred on December 8, at 23, Shinaba Street, Agboroko, Iba Town, but the woman reported the matter three days after.

The state’s Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, who paraded the suspect, said Ibekwe’s wife reported that he sent her on errand and by the time she got back, he had fled with their son.


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