By Deborah Nnamdi
A disturbing case of alleged child trafficking disguised as legal adoption has emerged in Imo State, exposing the dark network of illegal baby sales and unregulated orphanages reportedly operating under state cover.
A 21-year-old mother of two, Mercy Okoro from Ebonyi State, has accused Madam Charity Uzoka, operator of Care of the Child Orphanage in Owerri North Local Government Area, of deceitfully selling her newborn baby boy for N1.5 million shortly after birth.
The incident, which took place between March and June 2025 at Watergate Hospital in Orji, has sparked outrage among child rights advocates and human rights organizations. They have described it as a clear violation of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act (TIPPEA) 2015 and the Child Rights Act (CRA) 2003, which criminalize the sale, transfer, or illegal adoption of children.
Mercy said she met Madam Charity while five months pregnant and struggling to care for her first child. “I met Madam Charity along the World Bank Area when I was five months pregnant. She asked about my condition, and when I told her my partner was in detention, she gave me N1,000 and kept sending her driver and a friend to convince me to accept her help. When I gave birth, she took my baby, gave me N1.5 million, and told me to tell my partner that the baby died at birth,” she recounted.
According to her, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy on June 20, 2025, at Watergate Hospital. The following day, she was taken to the orphanage, where the newborn was separated from her. Acting on instructions from the orphanage operator, she told her partner, Sunday Elias Michael, that their child had died and was buried by relatives.
However, suspicions arose when Mercy returned home without the baby. A whistleblower alerted the police, prompting an investigation by the Gender Unit of the Imo State Police Command and human rights groups including Onurubie Coalition, Sisters With A Goal Initiative (SWAG), Virgin Heart Foundation, and SALTI.
Investigations later revealed that the baby was alive and had been transferred through the orphanage using forged adoption documents, without the father’s consent. Police officers reportedly resisted multiple bribery attempts while pursuing the case.
A human rights report indicated that the orphanage failed to present valid documentation for the purported adoption and that the operator, Madam Uzoka, remains in custody but has been uncooperative. Investigators suspect the existence of a wider network of baby sales linked to other orphanages in the state.
Child rights activists say the case underscores a disturbing pattern of institutional complicity, where some orphanages allegedly collaborate with corrupt officials to sell babies under the cover of adoption — a practice that undermines child welfare and endangers vulnerable families across Nigeria.
