Lagos State Police have arrested a 20-year-old woman, Miracle Kalu, for allegedly selling her one-month-old baby for N130,000.

Officers also arrested four other persons in connection to the same offence. Two of them were a couple who allegedly bought the baby and attempted to resell to another couple that was also arrested.

The first couple, Patrick Mbama and Ogechi Chinonso Ekwebele, allegedly bought the baby from Kalu in Imo State and resold her to another couple in Lagos for N150,000.

However, a police investigation has now revealed that Mbama and Ogechi were never married but pretended to be husband and wife so as to be able to traffick babies into Lagos.

On their way to Lagos, they were intercepted by border officers who were implementing the interstate lockdown.

According to officers, the suspects who boarded a Toyota Sienna vehicle was unable to pacify the crying baby.

When other passengers urged Ogechi, the supposed mother of the child, to breastfeed her, she hesitated. Her conduct began to arouse suspicion.

“They were coming from Orlu, Imo State. All the occupants of the vehicle were arrested for violating the ban on inter-state travel and the vehicle was impounded,” Daily Trust quoted the police spokesperson as saying.

“Upon questioning, this particular couple claimed that a childless man and wife in Lagos had paid for the said baby.

“The childless couple, Izuchukwu Okafor, 51, and Cecilia Okafor, 40, who ordered for the baby, were also arrested.”

The real mother of the baby who was subsequently arrested disclosed that she was an orphan and a secondary school dropout.

“When I got pregnant, my boyfriend, whose house I do not know, denied the pregnancy, saying he was not responsible for it. Since I was leaving with my elder sister who is also struggling, I had to leave the house and look for a means of surviving, ” she said.

“I gave birth to the baby at God’s Own Maternity in Imo State and sold her to take care of my health issue as I have ulcer. This and lack of funds forced me into selling my 28-day-old baby to Cecilia Okafor.

“I bought drugs and took care of my health with the money I was paid,,” she added.

Mrs Okafor who ordered for the baby claimed it was the desperation to have a child of her own she was forced into buying the baby.

“Being barren for 15 years is not easy. I heard there was a girl who was pregnant and did not want to keep the baby. I took care of her from ante-natal till she gave birth, ” she said.

“She told me she is an orphan and has asthma and that was why she agreed to sell the baby. I paid her N130,000 for the baby,” she added.