A 24-year-old lady has been rejected by her family because she refused to sell her newborn baby boy for the upkeep of the family.
The lady, Oluchukwu, an indigene of Ebonyi State but resides with her family at Awka Etiti in Idemili South Local Government of Anambra State gave birth to the child out of wedlock.
She rejected the initial advice to the family to abort the pregnancy after she could not get the man that impregnated her take responsibility but insisted on keeping the pregnancy.
Oluchukwu, who ran away from the family to Awka, the Anambra State capital, was, however, picked up by a non-governmental organization (NGO), Safenest, in whose care she was later delivered of her baby.
Disclosing the case of Oluchukwu, the Executive Director of Safenest, Mrs. Oluchukwu Chukwuenyem, noted that upon delivery she got in contact with her family and broke the good news of her safe delivery to them.
Chukwuenyem said she was rather shocked when the family rather advised her to sell the baby for her upkeep and be sure she did not return to the family with the baby.
She said: “We were so amazed when we learned of this, and we have taken it upon ourselves to take care of her and the baby. She is currently in a location we put her. We do not want to release her exact location, but I can tell you she is doing well.
“How much will she sell the baby that can assuage her sufferings for nine months?” she queried, noting that the Safenest had within one year of its operations discovered that most families were threatened by very flimsy excuses, and have gone ahead to experience serious problems like division, divorce and even murder.
Chukwuenyem admitted that abuse of substances like hard drug, alcohol, and others were primarily behind the cause of such violence.
