Doctor Freaks Journal - "Backyard" Surrogacy

This story is a must read!!!

A few years ago, I received a distress call from a friend. He had just been informed that his domestic staff together with his wife (the latter's) who had earlier kidnapped "his" son had been apprehended, so we needed to move fast! He was ready to spend his last penny just to ensure that these "kidnappers" go to jail. 

Hmmm...

I dashed down to his apartment for proper briefing. He is well-to-do. He has an array of domestic staff ranging from a gateman to a steward and a house keeper. Of particular interest is the steward.

 The steward left his wife and children at his brother's place and moved in with my friend but at some point, out of his magnanimity, my friend encouraged the poor guy to bring in his young family to live with him since my friend had a very big apartment and he was actually living alone. 

The lad jumped at the offer and brought in his beautiful family. The steward was less than 30 years old at the time but he had sired 4 beautiful children and I later discovered that his young wife was a beauty to behold. 

We shall come back to this point later.


Back to my very dear friend's story. He is wealthy. He was married but for personal reasons the marriage was dissolved and he resolved not to remarry but he wanted more children. He was so nice to the steward to the extent that he showered him and his family with all sort of gifts and he even made several trips to Mr Steward's place of origin on several occasions. 

My friend is from a privileged background but he humbled himself to the extent that he slept in the steward's father's hut each time he accompanied him to the village outside Nigeria. They became "family" and one thing led to the other.


There are two sides of a coin and the natural principle of justice enjoins all to listen to both sides.

It was the case of my friend that the steward observed that he was sliding into depression and upon several interrogations from the steward, he opened up to him that he was lonely and would love to have more children that he could call his own since the court had granted the first wife full custody of his first set of children. 

It is also his case that the steward made him an offer. Hmmm... The steward offered him his wife to give him two children, allegedly. There was no written agreement but there were bank slips, receipts of hospital payments, purchase of baby stuff, etc. My friend "knew" his steward's wife and she sent word to my friend that "I'm with child."

 From the moment her pregnancy was confirmed, my friend moved madam into the main building and started "taking care" of his surrogate "wife". Nine months after, we heard the voice of the mother and that of the child and my friend continued to care for mother and child and the stepfather. 

Six months after, the steward and the wife connived to flee. They fled with my friend's "son" and he went berserk! Poor dad.

 He left no stone unturned. The law enforcement agencies launched a manhunt and they were in luck. They succeeded in apprehending the fleeing couple and bringing them back to the country.

Now, let us consider the case of Mr Steward. It was his case that the child in question was his and that at no time whatsoever did the boss have carnal knowledge of his wife.

 He further stated that all the funds transferred into his account were willingly given to him when the going was good. He added that from the moment his boss sighted his wife and her big "yansh," he swore to have a bite and that he even offered him money but he turned down the offer. 

Also, he stated that on several occasions, his boss brought up the idea of having carnal knowledge of his wife but that he blatantly refused on the ground that it was against his culture and tradition, and that it was when he became apparent that he was not going to bulge that his boss started nursing plans of harming them and that he was left with no other option than to run for his dear life. Hmmm...


It was a tough case. The law enforcement agencies that were involved at the time confessed that it was a tough one too.


Queries:
Assuming arguendo that Mr Steward voluntarily gifted his wife to my friend, would that actually qualify as surrogacy under any law?


Mr Steward stated that the over N3miillion that passed through his account within a period of 6 months was freely given even though his monthly salary was N50k. Considering the fact that his salary for the period was N300k, the remainder- N2.7million must have been for Mr Biggs and Işi-ewu then.


Currently, I doubt if there is any legal regime that is regulating surrogacy in Nigeria but I'm aware that some fertility centres are already doing exploits in that regard and I want to believe that their legal departments must have been putting up some contracts, or else, "OYO" is the case of so many people who have subscribed to their services already.


I'm sure you would love to know how the matter ended right? 

At some stage, I withdrew my services on personal grounds. However, before I withdrew my services, it was ordered by a competent court that the boy be sent to an orphanage pending the time he would be ripe for a DNA test. My friend? He was not happy with me because he felt as a lawyer I should have just walked out of the law enforcement agencies and the court with "his" son and that the whole world ought to know that the boy was his son and that there was no need for all the drama.

 I wished him well and moved on.

*Ah ah so how did the matter end na? Please come back and finish this story oh....Very Interesting!