Crime
“She Abandoned Him, We Didn’t Take Him From Her” – Woman Says After Househelp Accused Her Of Seizing Her Baby Over Debt
In Lagos, the police command has arrested a woman and her husband over allegations that they held their househelp’s 6-month-old baby hostage for a month without feeding it.
Their arrest came after the 18-year-old mother of the baby, Chinyere Nwafor, claimed that her boss took her child because she was in debt with her.
The police command arrested Tina Ogbonnaya and her husband on Saturday after a video of the malnourished 6-month-old baby went viral on social media.
Chinyere had told her situation to a human rights activist named Harrison Gwamnishu, where she claimed that her boss took her child because she could not pay back her debt.
She confirmed that she was pregnant before she moved to Lagos and that it was the couple who took her into Lagos and helped pay her hospital bills.
“Because my boss, who paid my hospital bills when I was pregnant, demanded a refund, and because I couldn’t pay her back, they seized my child, the teenage mother revealed.”
Related: Child Starved To Death As Teenage Mother’s Boss Seized Child Over Debt
“It was Madam Tina’s husband that brought me from the village, saying he would help me, but when I came to Lagos, his wife started using me.” She added.
“Sometimes she should send me an errand at midnight or around 2 am and I’ve not liked it.” She revealed
“They once accused me of sleeping with an agbero boss. At that time, they told me not to live with them anymore and I left. ”
“Before I left, my child was still with them, and he was healthy. And when I said I wanted to take my baby back, they said I should pay them back all the money they spent on my hospital bill. “She added.
“As I came back for my child, I saw him lean and small.”
The suspects, Mrs. Tina and her husband, Godwin Ogbonnaya, are currently detained in Divisional Police Station Ajah, in Lagos State.
The couple were in an interview with local reporters in the police station, and they said they never held their child hostage as Chinyere claimed.
Her husband, Godwin Ogbonnaya, said he had reported the case to the Lagos police when he noticed that Chinyere was into prostitution.
“She abandoned her child in our house and was moving around with people doing prostitution, and the DPO told us that we should call the police when we see her again.”
“We called her. She did not pick up the call. She left her child and went back to her village in Arochukwu, Abia state, saying she wanted to write an exam, but it was all a lie. ” Godwin Ogbonnaya said.
Tina Ogbonnaya also revealed her own part of the story, saying what they did was employ Chinyere as their househelp who would take care of their baby.
She added that she had been worried as the teenager was pregnant, but Chinyere begged her to take her to Lagos, adding that she did not want anyone to find out she was pregnant.
As I brought her to Lagos, I discovered that Chinyere was not good at anything. Not even good at cooking. ”
“We helped her through her pregnancy till she gave birth, but after she gave birth, she started misbehaving to the extent that she decided to go back to her village where she said she wanted to write WAEC.” She revealed
“As she went back to the village, we employed someone who would take care of the baby, and we paid the person to.”
“We discovered that the baby was sick and that Chinyere had not taken care of the child when she came back. That was why the child ended up like that. ” She explained.