Little Saints Orphanage refutes child-trafficking claim

Little Saints Orphanage refutes child-trafficking claim

•It is baseless, malicious and libelous –Rev. George

By AHAOMA KANU

MANAGEMENT of Little Saints Orphanage in Lagos has refuted allegation of child trafficking being levelled against it by those it described as ''detractors.''

A media publication had claimed that a lady, whose name was given as Mrs. Ruth Okeke, made the allegation.
But in a swift reaction, the Proprietress of the Orphanage, Reverend (Mrs.) Dele George, denied the said allegation in its entirety.

In a statement released in Lagos, at the week-end, the Proprietress said the publication was not only slanderous, but also ''baseless, malicious and libelous.''

The Proprietress attributed the publication to ''a failed attempt by a woman to get her five-year old son adopted by the Orphanage.''

She maintained that since its establishment in 1994, the Orphanage had succeeded in admitting 120 children, ''who are being rehabilitated in four branches, while being exposed to nursery, primary, secondary and University education.''
While denying the allegation in strong terms, the Proprietress said: ''no child is put up for Adoption without an approval letter from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Development in Lagos State.''

Similarly, she said, ''No child is put up for adoption without the full completion of all relevant documents as well as total investigation of circumstances surrounding any abandonment''

More than anything else, the Proprietress said, ''We do not charge for adoption, while there is no financial inducement in our dealings with adopters, nor with women with unplanned pregnancies, unwanted babies or good Samaritans.'’