Nigerian Dad Arrested For Trying To Sell His 3 Year Old Son Inside A Bag Of Rice

A Nigerian dad was arrested after he attempted to sell his three-year-old son who he had wrapped up in a sack of rice claiming he needed the money to feed the rest of his children.

A Nigerian father of eight, who was not identified, was arrested after a local noticed a three-year-old child’s head poking out of the sack in which his dad had wrapped him up for sale at an undisclosed location in Nigeria.

The local news site iReporteronline reports after being arrested he told cops he was selling his son so he could use the proceeds to feed the rest of his children.

The father of eight children claimed that he does not have the money to feed his children and blames the devil for putting him in this position.

Local media reports that the man has been detained on child trafficking charges.

The incident came as Nigeria is being plagued by cases of children being sold for illegal adoption and trafficking by impoverished parents.

The local news site NaijaNews reports that 22-year-old Blessing Chukwu was arrested in Umuahia, southeastern Nigeria, for selling her daughter at an illegal adoption market for NGN 190,000 (GBP 333) to buy food for her family.

NaijaNews also reports that authorities suspect Nigerian hospitals have facilitated the illegal adoption of newborn babies.

The UK government placed Nigeria on an adoption black list last year (2021) after it found “difficulties confirming the background and adaptability of children”.

According to the report, the Nigerian adoption systems suffers from endemic corruption and organised child trafficking is a widespread problem.

The report concluded: “There is a lack of confidence that adoptions from Nigeria meet the requirements expected in regards to the adoption process and to ensure adoption is the best outcome for the children.”

Local media reports that the investigation into the father of the three-year-old is ongoing.