Ogidi was rescued from the orphanage by the police last Friday about seven weeks after she was stolen during a church service in Lagos while the owner of the centre, Kehinde Imarigbe, was arrested by the Edo State Police Command.
While she was being paraded, she claimed that her orphanage was registered by the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and had been operating for four years with 15 children.
A statement on Friday said the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Magdalene Ohenhen, led a team to seal off the centre located at 25, Davies Street, off Siluko Road, Benin City.
Ohenhen stated that the management of the centre did not follow due process in admitting Elo into the orphanage.
The statement said, “During the operation, the commissioner and her team also discovered that the orphanage had three other children who were not documented with the ministry as required by law.
“There are rules and regulations guiding the operations of orphanages, but the management of God’s Own Orphanage did not abide by these rules which are why we have shut it.
“The procedure is that before you accept a child into an orphanage in the state, the operator of the home must inform the state government through the state’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
“The home did not inform us about the child who was reported missing in a church in Lagos before accommodating the child in the home.”
The commissioner added that there were three other children who were admitted into the orphanage without the knowledge of the state government.
She noted that the 15 children in the orphanage would be moved to a safer centre under the custody of the Edo State
From Punch
*So some Orphanages steal kids to give out for Adoption?wow,they should check those three kids,maybe they have been reported missing on the social media before......
Very good
ReplyDeleteJust wondering what if that orphanage had rejected the little girl when she was brought in. What would ve been her fate.
ReplyDeleteAll the center needs to do was to notify the police and ministry of women affair.
DeleteYour head dey house!
DeleteThe pictures of the three should be put out on social media . This is just horrible and yet people were saying her parents planned it .Ndi uchu
ReplyDeleteYea thats a good move. They should be investigated.
ReplyDeleteEdo Orphanages...... run from them o! The government should as a matter of urgency, investigate all of them and how they sell babies!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I decided to adopt after TTC but to no avail. After filling all the forms and doing all the medical tests, the very nice lady at the Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs gave us a list of orphanages in Benin City and asked us to go check if these orphanages had kids we could adopt.
We visited most of the orphanages and we were told that there weren't any kids for adoption. They explained that all the kids in their care had extended families so are not up for adoption. It was later we found out that these orphanages wanted us to bribe them before giving us a child! That sounded to us like child trafficking and we wanted no part of it!
We do not have a problem supporting the orphanages as there are other kids who need food, clothes and good education. But paying for a child before he/she is adopted is a no go!
GOod
ReplyDeleteHmmmm! What if the orphanage rejected the girl???
ReplyDeleteSealing off the building wasn't the best! What will become of the other kids?????
They other kids has been transferred to another home, it seems you didn't read well before commenting?
DeleteEdo state is the center for trafficking of children and women.
ReplyDeleteThere is a need to properly investigate.
KING XOXO MYSTERY
To me, the only legitimate orphanage in Benin city is Oronsaye, at least until the real owner died at a very old age, she prayed for me for something that was pressing to me on one of my visits and I got my miracle. There is a power that goes with caring for helpless kids and genuine orphanage owners can testify of this
ReplyDelete