The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Felicia Nwamkpuma, has refuted media reports claiming she was detained by the police over the alleged sale of a newborn baby for N25 million.
The controversy began after a 29-year-old woman, Susan Nweze, and her family accused the Ebonyi State Police Command, alongside other security operatives and officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs, of conspiring to sell her newborn child. The family petitioned the Force Zonal Headquarters of the Nigeria Police in Enugu and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) for investigation.
Following the petition, the commissioner and other parties involved were invited by the police and directed to present the baby. Nwamkpuma confirmed she honored the invitation on Tuesday, August 19, and presented the baby to the AIG, who thereafter instructed her to return with the child to Ebonyi State.
Clarifying her position, the commissioner emphasized that she has not been arrested or detained, stressing that the baby remains in the protective custody of the Ministry of Women Affairs in compliance with the Child Rights Act.
“I have been in my office working. I was never arrested. The AIG only invited us to present the baby, which we did. We returned the same day with the child after the inspection. The baby is safe with the ministry, not sold, and no conspiracy took place,” she told journalists.
Nwamkpuma further explained that the ministry has statutory responsibility to safeguard vulnerable children, assuring the public that the baby is being protected in a government-approved home, the location of which remains undisclosed for security reasons.
She added that the alleged adoption process cited in the petition was misleading, as adoption can only be finalized through the courts. The commissioner noted that the ministry’s role is strictly to take custody of vulnerable children, provide medical care if necessary, and place them in motherless babies’ homes or other secure facilities.
She urged the public to disregard false reports, insisting that the ministry neither engaged in nor permitted any illegal transaction involving children.
Stay updated with Ebonyi News Network for real-time reports, in-depth analysis, and exclusive coverage of policies shaping Ebonyi State.
