How 13-year-old Boy Was Sold And Re-sold For N340,000

A young boy based in the South-eastern part of the country was bought and then sold for some several thousands of naira.

Daniel, his mother Ngozi Nweze, Wilson and Elochukwu were victims of circumstance. After the death of their father in 1999, life became unbearable for them since their mother could not afford to provide the necessities of life for herself and the children.

Faced with this excruciating situation, Daniel the eldest son of the family, as a way of alleviating their suffering, agreed to go to Owerri in Imo state, with his mother and his two other siblings – Elochukwu and Wilson.

The trip was bankrolled by one Amaechi Ukwa, ostensibly to assist the family but with ulterior motives. It was gathered that, on their way, Amaechi Ukwa, unknown to them, had actually arranged the sale of Daniel to one Mr Solo from Mbaise who resold Daniel to one Madam Pepe at N340,000.

Trouble started when the second-hand owners of Daniel organised a party and renamed Daniel ‘Jahbuike’. But Daniel refused to answer the name and told them that he would not answer any name other than Daniel.

Daniel, however, escaped from the house the night after the purported renaming ceremony. After the incident, the buyer called Mr Amaechi to brief him about the boy’s escape and demand the return of the money paid on him. During the ensuing argument between the two, Daniel overheard the conversation and escaped from the house. It was in the course of the escape that a police patrol team arrested him.

Daniel, however, took the police to his “master’s” place and the suspects were arrested only to be released after one week. Amaechi was said to have escaped from Imo state to Cotonou in Benin Republic. It was gathered that Amaechi had called his people in Umuezeokah in Ezza North local government area of Ebonyi state to send his wife back to her family and that he would not come back home anymore.

Daniel returned home through the effort of the Ebonyi state ministry of women affairs on Friday July 27, 2018 since after his sale in June 2015.

Speaking to Orient Weekend, Daniel said: “My mother took me from Ebonyi to Imo state. She gave my siblings and me to one woman and, since that day, we have not seen her again. The woman took us to another man and said I had become the man’s child. One day, he called me ‘Jah Bu Ike’ and I told him that was not my name; that I remained Daniel Nweze.

“I was not schooling before I left for Imo. It was in Imo state that I started schooling. The man was taking good care of me. He had girl children and I was the only male child. I didn’t know that I was sold to him.

“I am in school and I am in primary four. The name of my school is Great Time Nursery and Primary school located in Oji, Okigwe”.

Daniel’s uncle who reported the matter to Family Law Centre before taking it to the ministry of women affairs, Ven. Silas Nweze said the boy, his two siblings and mother were taken away from the village on 15th June, 2015 and that, since then, he had been restless as he had not heard from them except once when Amaechi Ukwa who took them to Imo without his consent. Ukwa, he said, once called to tell him he would not return to the village throughout his lifetime.

“It was on July 2018 that I got a message that policemen from Imo state came to our family with Daniel. I rushed to Imo state to find out what happened. When I went to Imo, I saw Daniel in police custody. On inquiry, I was told that somebody sold him. The police told me that a man from a compound close to our house took Daniel, two brothers and their mother on one Eke day to Imo state and then disposed them.

“He sold Daniel to one Solo from Mbaise, Imo state who took Daniel and resold to one Madam Pepe at the rate of N340, 000. I reported the matter to a family law centre in 2016. Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali, who is in charge of Welfare and I ran to the state commissioner for women affairs, Mrs. Rebecca Ogbuewu. Since then, we have never heard about the mother of Daniel.

“It is only once that we heard from the man who took them to Cotonou and it was in 2015. One Amaechi Ukwa was the one who took them to Imo state. It was only once that we heard from Amaechi and when we called, Amaechi told us that he would never step into the community again that he was residing at Cotonou.

“He told us that he will never come to our place again that we should forget about him.

He told the family that they should send his wife and the only child he has back to the woman’s family. I re­ported the matter to our traditional ruler and Family Law Centre in Abakaliki. Our traditional ruler and the entire community are aware of this matter.

“Daniel, the two siblings and mother were taken away from the village on 15th June, 2015. Then on July 27, the information came to me and I took up the matter and reported to the traditional ruler and the entire community”, he said.

Receiving Daniel, the state com­missioner for women affairs and social development, Mrs. Rebecca Ogbuewu said the journey to the recovery of the boy was hectic and thanked God for the successful recovery. Ven. Nweze reported the matter to her office and she has been battling to ensure that he was released.

On her part, the desk officer NAPTIP and head of child development ministry of women affairs, Mr. Godwin Igwe, thanked stakeholders of Ezza North for their financial support during the process of recovering Daniel.