A Liberian, Daniel Barnney, is being held by the police
for allegedly selling his nine-month-old son Emmanuel to
a 43-year-old woman, Ekah Richard, for N250,000.
Barnney, one Pastor Samuel Osavitu and a worker at an
orphanage, Alhaji Sunkanmi Adamu, are being quizzed
at Festac Police Station over the matter.
Barnney’s Nigerian wife Ijeoma Ndoku raised the alarm
over his plan to sell their son and flee to Ghana last
month.
The police arrested Barnney at Mile 2 on February 12
and recovered the baby from Richard.
Ndoku said she and Barnney have been quarrelling
because she did not allow him to take the baby to his
aunt, who she never saw.
She debunked Barnney’s claims of abandoning the child,
accusing him of fleeing with the boy on their way to buy
groceries.
“It’s a lie! I didn’t abandon my baby. He said he wanted
to hand the baby over to his aunt. I said it was okay
since his aunt was now in Nigeria. I said it will give me
opportunity to look for a job and support the family
because he has not been taking care of us.
“For over three months, he has been saying he does not
have money to take care of me and my baby but he
usually had money to buy drinks and cigarettes. He
could not even bring out N150 for me to buy pampers
for our baby. Even when I wanted to take the baby to
the hospital, I usually went and borrowed money; other
times, our neighbours will give me money to cater for
the baby.
“He used to get drunk and vomit. When I complained,
he would bring out iron rod and hit it on my head. I fell
down once, tried to go and open the door, but he
dragged me back.
“I didn’t know his plan was to sell our baby. I said I
wanted to see his aunt. He said if the aunt knows that I
am around, she wouldn’t collect the baby. He asked me
if I wanted the baby to die, I said no”, she said.
Ndoku said she learnt of Barnney’s plan to sell their son
from his boss.
“She (the boss) told me that Daniel was planning to sell
my son for N150,000. She said that Daniel said after
selling the baby, he would leave for Ghana. I didn’t
believe her.
“The woman said I should come back around 4pm, so
that I would hear the story from some of her assistants. I
told Daniel’s friend. He doubted the story too, so he
followed me.
“It was in his presence that the woman told us
everything. She said she became curious and concerned
after she noticed Daniel was always with the baby. When
she asked, Daniel told her that I abandoned the baby
and ran away. She asked for my number, so that she
could speak to me, but Daniel refused. That was when
she knew Daniel was lying.
“I told her that Daniel told me that the baby was with his
aunt. She said that was part of the reason she withheld
his salary,” Ndoku said.
Ndoku said on January 29, Barnney called that he was
coming to see his son, adding that when he came, their
neighbours were happy and advised her to forgive him.
To effect his plan to take away the baby, she said he
tricked her that they were going to buy him things.
She said when she alighted from the motorcycle (Okada)
that they took to enter a store, Barnney disappeared
with the baby.
Barnney, 32, who admitted to have received N250,000
from Richard through Adamu, said the money was given
to him to start a business.
He denied selling the baby, claiming that his wife
abandoned the child. He said since he could not cater for
the boy alone, he took him to an orphanage.
Richard, who claimed that she adopted the child, said
she never knew the adoption process was illegal. She
said she was advised by the pastor to adopt a child so
that God can open her womb.
But Osavitu, who denied conspiring with others to steal
the baby, said he was only trying to help Richard and
safe the child’s life.
He said: “I have known the orphanage guy for almost
nine years. He’s a good man. He’s the manager at the
orphanage. I used to go to the orphanage to preach
there.”
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