My name is Daniel Chigozie. I am 30 years old, married, and live in Abela, Sango Ota, Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State. I run a fashion business in Lagos State. I have never attended secondary school, so I lack formal education.
The mother of the child I sold is Chinwe Blessing. She already had two children before we met—one is seeking university admission, and the other is studying at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State. Chinwe was initially my customer; we began an affair in 2020, and she later gave birth to our son, Darlington.
I was arrested by the Amotekun Corps because I was involved in child trafficking. I sold my child to obtain money for my business and to support my wife, who has two other children to care for. The need for funds arose after my wife’s Caesarean delivery; we required money for her recovery, the newborn’s care, and to send money to her university‑going child.
The claim that I sold my son to multiple buyers is inaccurate. The first time, I did not sell the baby. Facing financial difficulties after the birth, I took the infant to my uncle’s wife in Sango Ota for assistance. My wife needed money for her daughter’s education and for basic sustenance. She instructed me to tell my uncle’s wife that a woman had abandoned a baby and that I could not care for it alone. In exchange for this story, my uncle’s wife gave me money to support my business. Two days later, my wife retrieved the baby from my uncle’s wife after a confrontation.
Later, my wife suggested I contact the same woman because she was interested in caring for the baby. I explained that my wife could not look after the child and that I was not the biological mother. She agreed and consulted a friend, a doctor at Meiran, who paid me N400,000. After two days, my wife called, asking how we could recover the baby. She instructed me to go to the police station, give the officers the contacts of my uncle’s wife and her friend, and promised that nothing would happen to me. I complied and returned home.
Subsequently, my wife told me to go to a hospital where a woman claimed she had given birth to our baby and then disappeared. I was introduced to a doctor in Apapa who agreed to pay N700,000. After receiving the payment, I settled with everyone involved, including a nurse.
On 15 February, my wife said she was going to the market but returned with police officers. I panicked, fetched a knife, and tried to injure my arm to avoid arrest. After the officers left, Amotekun officers arrived and took me into custody. I was arrested in Sango Ota and later transferred to Abeokuta.
Since my arrest, my wife has been uncooperative with the Amotekun Corps. I disclosed that we had engaged in this activity three times, but she withheld the full story. She has threatened that I will “rot in jail,” once even bringing me food, which I stopped eating after a disturbing dream in which she killed me. She continues to threaten me.
Regarding the money received, the first transaction yielded N150,000 from my uncle’s wife, which was given to her because of my financial problems—not as a sale. The second payment was N400,000, and the third was N700,000. I did not keep the money for myself; I gave my wife her share and made other necessary payments. I was supposed to pay a nurse N100,000, but my wife argued the amount was too high and reduced it to N20,000, later increasing it to N30,000 after the nurse’s objection. I gave my wife N200,000 plus an additional N50,000 for a small phone and transport fare.
My wife always reclaimed the baby from each buyer. She retrieved the child from my uncle’s wife and her friend, and she reported to the police whenever someone claimed ownership of the child, calling me to testify so the authorities could recover the baby for us.
I am deeply remorseful for my actions. I regret what I have done, plead for mercy, and beg God for forgiveness.
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