A single mother from Ebonyi State, Mrs. Ebere Aleke, has appealed for urgent intervention, alleging that a children’s home in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is demanding ₦1.5 million for a DNA test before releasing her son to her.
Aleke, a native of Ukwuagba Ngbo in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, made the appeal while speaking with journalists in Abakaliki at the weekend.
The distraught mother said her ordeal began in 2021 when her toddler went missing in Onitsha, Anambra State, where she lived and made a living by hawking pap.
According to her, the child’s biological father abandoned her shortly after she became pregnant, leaving her to single-handedly care for the boy after his birth.
Aleke explained that because of the nature of her business, she often left the child in the care of a woman from her community while she went out to hawk in the streets.
She said the incident that led to the child’s disappearance occurred when she returned from her daily business only to discover that the boy was missing.
“The woman I left him with told me that the child followed me when I went out to sell pap, but I never saw him,” she said.
The mother said she searched endlessly for the boy for nearly two years until 2023, when she allegedly discovered that he had been picked up by the police and taken to a children’s home in Port Harcourt.
Aleke claimed that when she visited the facility and identified the child as her son, the management insisted that she must first conduct a DNA test to prove maternity before the boy could be released to her.
According to her, the home demanded ₦150,000 for the test, which she struggled to raise and eventually paid.
However, she alleged that after making the payment, the management neither released the test result nor handed over the child to her.
She further claimed that the facility is now demanding an additional ₦1.5 million for another DNA test before the child can be reunited with her.
“I have suffered so much looking for my son. When I finally found him, they started asking me for money I cannot afford. I already paid for one DNA test, but they refused to show me the result,” Aleke said.
She therefore appealed to the Ebonyi State Government, the Nigerian Bar Association, civil society organisations, journalists and other well-meaning Nigerians to intervene and help her recover her son.
Aleke said she believes that with the right intervention from relevant authorities and human rights groups, the matter can be investigated and resolved.
Efforts to reach the management of the children’s home in Port Harcourt for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
