A disturbing case of alleged child trafficking has emerged at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Ituku-Ozalla Enugu, where medical teams are accused of giving out three children to unknown parties after their mother died in the hospital.
SaharaReporters learnt that the incident came to light when Mrs. Chinyere Jennifer James, a good Samaritan, reportedly received a distress call about the stranded children.
“I am Mrs. Chinyere Jennifer James, please link us to her family members,” she appealed in a video clip shared on Instagram.
According to James, the mother underwent an operation at UNTH and died, leaving behind three children. One child had already been given to a pastor, while the other two were left in the hospital due to a lack of family contact.
“The woman was with her two children – we have been coming asking where are the relatives; they said they were the only ones. So when the woman died, we now asked the elderly one about their father; she said their father is not around; do they have any other person; they said the person is coming in November. Am I going to carry them to my house? Of course, no,” the doctor said.
James questioned the hospital’s actions, asking why they couldn’t contact human rights organisations or the Ministry of Gender.
“We asked whether they don’t have a human rights section where they would have reported or handed them over or alternatively sent them to the Ministry of Gender,” she said.
The doctor allegedly requested N20,000 to return the children, prompting James to accuse the hospital of child trafficking. “After an argument with this doctor, we were asked to send N20k to the lady who left with those children so that she can return them – our intention was to hand them over to human rights and see how we can get in touch with her family so that they can pick them up,” James explained.
