From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Felicia Nwamkpuma, has described as false media reports that she has been in police detention since Monday over the alleged sale of a baby for N25 million.
A 29-year-old woman in the state, Susan Nweze, and her family had alleged that her newborn baby was sold for N25 million by the state police command in collaboration with other security agencies and the state Ministry of Women Affairs after the baby was born.
Susan’s family petitioned the Force Zonal Headquarters of the Nigeria Police in Enugu, and the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in the zone invited the parties mentioned in the petition, including Nwamkpuma, who was mandated to come with the baby.
The Commissioner said she was immediately asked to return with the baby by the AIG after the presentation on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, when she honoured the invitation.
She said the ministry was keeping custody of the said baby boy in line with the Child Rights Act, which empowers it to protect vulnerable children, and urged the public to disregard media reports alleging she has been in detention since Monday.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, she said: “The baby is with the Ministry of Women Affairs, and the Ministry of Women Affairs has the statutory right to ensure that children who are vulnerable, like in this case, are protected and kept safe.
“On this matter, someone petitioned AIG Enugu, and investigation into the matter is still ongoing. We have been invited to show the baby to confirm that this baby is with us.
“So, we have taken the baby to Enugu, and the AIG has seen the baby. We came back with the baby. We were invited to come to Enugu on that Tuesday with the baby and returned with the baby on that same Tuesday, being 19th August.
“We took the baby from the police to Enugu because they had already given us a handover note. We took the baby from them, and we have to wait for the AIG to conclude his investigation.
“I have been in my office working; I was never arrested. I got an invitation from the police AIG. I got the letter on the 14th of August that they would like to see that baby. They told me to come with that baby, and on Tuesday, we went to see the AIG with the baby, and we were told to go back that same day after seeing the baby.
“We are not trying to cover anybody on this matter or pretend that the baby is not with us, and we are saying the baby is with us. The baby is with us; no baby was sold. The ministry did not conspire, neither did we agree with anybody to sell any baby, and the word ‘sell’ is against the child and nature. Babies are not sold.
“So, no baby was sold. The baby is under the Ministry of Women Affairs in a home where the baby is protected, and we can’t disclose the name of the home for security reasons.
“Before the police came with a letter, we were informed that a couple were requesting this particular baby, that the mother of the baby said she was not financially and emotionally able to care for the baby. They said a lot of things in the letter, but the Ministry doesn’t just rely on a consent letter from the mother or anybody.
“We said, okay, until we see the person that wrote that letter, then we can now know the next line of action. The baby was never adopted because, when you talk about adoption, it’s a legal term that can be done by the court, but when a child is brought to us, depending on the vulnerability of the child, the first thing we do is to take custody of this child. We take some of them to hospital first so that the child will receive medical care or some, we take them straight to a motherless babies’ home.”
