Mariam Ekanem, a 20-year-old school drop out from
Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River
State, said yesterday in Calabar that poverty and
lack of where to stay after she gave birth made her
sell her two weeks old baby girl for N20,000.
According to Vanguard, Maria, who was
arrested by the police along five other
accomplices, said her boyfriend who got her
pregnant, asked her to abort the baby but said a
doctor helped her with free antenatal care and
food until she gave birth.
This, she added, prompted her to agree to sell
the baby when arrangements were made to sell.
Paraded along with Maria were a 55-year-old
medical doctor, Okokon Offiong Okoho, the
proprietor of Evangel Clinic,of 2, Atu Street; a
70-year-old matron of Sadatoe Maternity
located at Umoh Street and a nurse at the
maternity who allegedly made the plans to sell
the girl to an Abuja-based lady who is now on
the run.
However, plans to sell the two weeks old girl
was leaked to the police by a Senior Secondary
Two girl of NYSC Demonstration Secondary
School, Calabar , Maria Elemi, whose parents
Maria was living with after she delivered the
baby.
“When I came back from school on Monday,
Maria told me she wanted to take the baby to
the parents of the boy who impregnated her
since she can no longer cope with taking care
of the baby,” she said.
Maria said when they got to Fuller by Inyang
Street in Calabar South, they met Mrs Elemi and
her daughter in an SUV car, adding that Maria
gave the girl to the matron who handed her
over to the buyer.
She said: “The woman gave Maria N20,000 and
asked her to pay the nurse at the Evangel Clinic
and use the rest for herself.”
The girl said she became suspicious when the
driver of the SUV told the woman with the baby
that her husband said she should take her to the
airport to catch a flight to Abuja .
“I started wondering why they should take the
girl to the airport when the boyfriend to
Maria and her parents live here in Calabar,”
Maria stated.