The Lagos State Police Command in collaboration with Jacinta Nwakaego Nworie of Hands that Care Foundation have rescued a two-year-old baby girl who has a lump on her face from her parents and some fake foundation members that have been using her to beg and enrich themselves.
Six of the fake foundation members – five males and two ladies – are presently in police custody.
The members in police custody are Chukwukka Eze, 24; Amaka Ani, 20; Chinasa Eze, 22; Monday Nnoni, 27; Vincent Okoro, 25; and Tochukwu Obi, 24.
The mother of the baby, Victoria Ananko, is also in police detention, while the Managing Director of the fake charity foundation, Life Care Foundation, has bolted since the arrest of his workers.
The police have however identified him as one Samuel Ependu.
The police are also making preparation to journey to Anambra State, where the baby’s father resides, to arrest him.
Ananko revealed that since they started the business in August 2013, her husband, Innocent Ananko, a former struggling commercial bike rider, has started building a house and bought new motorbikes, amongst other things.
The little girl, baby Chinasa, had been dragged through nine states of the federation, under scorching sun, used in begging alms from unsuspecting Nigerians, who give such alms, believing that the money would be used to carry out operation on the girl.
One of the members, identified as Emeka, who had left the group, had sex with Ananko, impregnating her.
She was however forced to go for abortion by Ependu, using part of her own share of the money.
Mrs. Ananko claimed that Emeka raped her, and had had her twice.
Wads of N20 notes and other denominations, tied with a band, totaling N18,585, were recovered from Ananko.
The sum of N32,140 was recovered from the suspects, being proceeds for the day before they were arrested.
The police spokesperson in Lagos State, Ngozi Braide, said: “You usually find them in traffic jams.
“They carry enlarged pictures of sick persons, begging for alms.
“Its’ now a business.
“Owners of such network now recruit people to work for them.
“They go to villages looking for people with stranger sicknesses.
“They’ll promise the parents of the sick person that when they get to the cities, they would take care of the child.”
Braide explained that little Chinasa was a victim of such a scam and was picked because she had a lump across her face, which she was born with.
Braide further said that while Chinasa was taken from one place to another to beg, her mother was kept in a hotel.
When the team comes back, they give Ananko her share, while Ependu sends money to the girl’s father in Anambra State, pays his workers for the day and orders that the rest should be kept in his bank account.
The suspects confessed that in a day, they make close to N30,000.
The mother is given N500 or N1,000 every day after operation.
The members are also paid between N400 and N1,000, while the rest goes to Ependu, who told them that he was deducting N5,000 everyday for Chinasa’s surgery.
But the N5,000 also goes into his account.
The members, who used to stay in three rooms in hotels in any state, pay for the hotel bills every day from the day’s proceeds.
Braide added: “Ninety per cent of such people you see in traffic begging are fraudsters.
“These kids are victims, but with real problems.
“This group was arrested after a Good Samaritan, Jacinta Nwakaego, alerted police.
“They’re enriching themselves.
“They would be charged for human trafficking and contemporary slavery.”
The fake foundation apparently has different branches and groups in Nigeria.
The group leader of those arrested is Chukwuka Eze.
Eze claimed not to know that the foundation was a bogus scheme and also denied not knowing it was not registered.
He said he was pushing wheelbarrow before, making N900 daily, but was invited by Ependu to join the fake charity organization where he makes between N400 and N1,000 a day.
He, however, said he enjoys the new trade because it was not as stressful as wheelbarrow work.
His words: “Our boss comes every three days to collect the proceeds.
“The last time he came to collect money from us was Tuesday.
“The money was just N15,000 because we didn’t work for three days.
“Chinasa was sick.
“No, we didn’t take her to hospital.
“But we bought her medicine from a chemist.
“Our boss said that after making some money, we would take Chinasa to orthopaedic hospital in Enugu for operation.”
Narrating how Ependu came into their lives, Ananko, who can’t speak even Pidgin English, said in Igbo that someone who knew them directed Ependu to them in Anambra State.
Ananko said: “Ependu discussed with my husband.
“He promised to assist us with Chinasa.
“Chinasa was born with that lump on her face.
“My first child is a boy, Okwudili.
“I don’t know my age or my son’s age.
“I followed them from state to state.
“I told my husband that they were using Chinasa to make money, but he didn’t say anything.
“When Emeka got me pregnant, Ependu told my husband and since then he had not been picking my calls, Ependu collected N8000 from me, took me to hospital where they did the abortion for me.
“When he saw me discussing with one of his workers, he came over, slapped me heavily on the face, saying I was chasing men.
“He told my husband.
“I told my husband that I wanted to come home, but he said I should stay with Ependu and his foundation even if it’s for 20 years.
“It’s from money they give me that I feed myself and Chinasa.
“There are drugs that she also needs.
“I buy them from the money they give me.”
The Good Samaritan explained that since the arrest of the fake charity organization, members had been calling her, threatening her life.
She added: “He called me twice, offering me N200,000 if I would just forget about the matter.
“He told me that he had branches all over Nigeria, that he had been arrested several times and still walked out of police custody.
“He described himself as wind, which nobody can trap.
“He asked me if I wanted to be carrying guns to rob, that this was his way of making a living.
“He said I was risking my life for nothing.
“The woman and her daughter are with me.
“I consulted a doctor who told me that Chinasa needs about N5 million for an operation.
“The doctor advised we take her to India.
“We don’t have that sort of money.”
Incidentally, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Okiro, is the chairman of Hands that Care Foundation.
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