Mr Kingsley Oriakwue, a father of five, who sold his two children and his landlord’s son for N310,000, yesterday disclosed why he took such heinous decision.
Oriakwue, 38, who was presented to journalists on Monday by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, said that he stole the children because he wanted to raise money to give his father-in-law, a befitting burial and his pressing house rent.
According to him, he had wanted to sell two of his children and his landlord’s son, but buyer rejected one of his children, thus he had to sell only his daughter.
The suspect, who is a bricklayer, explained that after he tried all available means to raise money for the burial, all to no avail, he had to resort to selling his children and abducting his landlord’s sevenyear- old son.
He recounted: “My wife is the first child of her parents and the bulk of the burial falls on her.
That was why I frantically looked for means to raise money in order to assist her give her father a befitting burial and to clear my house rent. I had to sell my daughter out of frustration to meet up some challenges confronting me.” The suspect further said: “When my father-in-law died, my wife and I needed money to burial him.
When two of my children were sick, I told my wife I was taking them to hospital. I made a detour on the way and went to Patience Nnwokwo. I explained my predicament to her.
“Nnwokwo then called Adaora Obi on phone; she told Adaora that I what I wanted to do.
It was Adaora, who is a pastor of a church that referred me to the orphanage home where I sold my daughter for N120, 000.” He said he lied to the woman in charge of the orphanage home, Queen Esther, that there was nobody to care for his daughter, Chimamanda, which was why he wanted to sell her.
“I was arrested and granted bail after my wife went to report me at Meiran Police Station. She told them that our daughter was missing. I had earlier told my wife that I took her to my village to live with my sister.”
According Adaora, it was Patience Nnwokwo, who introduced Oriekwue to him, that he needed an orphanage home where his daughter would be well cared for.
Adaora: “It was in the process I directed her to my friend who later took her to Queen Esther’s Orphanage Home. I directed them to the orphanage because the owner is a member of my church. I was given N20, 000 after the orphanage had accepted the baby.
The money was given to me as transport fare. I was later arrested at Port Harcourt, where I went to minister and brought to Lagos.”