I’m not involved in sale of babies – Perm Sec

Dr Wisdom Sawyer Chief Consultant of New Survivors Hospital situated at the outskirts of Yenagoa, has expressed his dismay over stories making the rounds in the social and mainstream media alleging his involvement in a baby sales racketeering syndicate.

Speaking with news men in yenagoa Dr sawyer decried journalists who reported the incidence for not carrying a balanced report as none of them came to confirm the allegations from him before publishing the story.

According to him the twenty four year old, Nnenna Nwachukwu, who is a commercial sex worker came to his hospital on November 7th 2015 to abort an eight month old pregnancy but he declined and advised her against the act since it is illegal and unethical in medical practice.

He further asserts that the expectant mother said she cannot take care of the child and so insisted that she take the child to a mother less babies home upon delivering through the ministry of gender and social development.

Dr. Sawyer displayed documents showing the agreement reached between the said Nnenna and the hospital upon which she agreed that upon delivery her baby be sent to the motherless baby through the government ministry in charge of such welfare matters.

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He revealed that he was surprised when he was visited by the police and rights activists including FIDA alleging his involvement in child racketeering scam with the charge of buying a baby from the lady in question to the tune two hundred thousand naira.

According to him, as a christian pastor he even attracted other  donors from the christian community to come to the aid of the lady to foot her ante natal demands and she is even owing hospital bills which he had to offset.

Reading from a signed statement the Chief Medical Consultant who doubles as a Permanent Secretary in the Bayelsa State Civil Service, affirmed that he :
“Was surprised that the publicity made by FIDA and the Bayelsa Police Igbogene Division was that the child is no where to be found and the document for the transfer of the baby from New Survivors Hospital to the Ministry and government children home was said to be document endorsed for sale of baby”

Dr Sawyer further refutes that:” the document was an undertaken by the patient Nnnena Nwachukwi to transfer the baby to government since she cannot care for the baby and not a document for sale of baby as alleged”

Stating further that he is “not aware that anybody sell baby to a government owned institution as the Glory Land Children’s Home” where the baby has been deposited since her birth a week ago.

He maintained that rather than him being commended for saving the life of the baby he was being misunderstood and roped in a scam he knew nothing about.

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He took a swipe at the media for not carrying out independent investigation to verify claims as he affirmed that the baby in question has been at the Glory Land Children Orphanage since birth on the third of February this year.

If he had other intentions he would not have taken the pains to do the needful legitimising the process ensuring that the government ministry gets involved.

As at the time of this report the one week old baby was still at the Orphanage home in Yenagoa and the management insists that if the lady in question wants to take custody she should come with a next of kin to ascertain her willingness and capability to take appropriate care of the baby girl.

It would be recalled that news of a government official being involved in a child rackeeting scam had broken a week ago when an alarm was raised by neighbours in a yenagoa surbub over a pregnant lady who returned home upon delivery without the new born.

Neighbours alert the authorities as to the whereabout of the baby and upon confrontation the mother alleged that the doctor in question had promised to pay her Two hundred thousand naira for a girl child and so had taken the baby from her in keeping with the agreement they had before her eventual delivery.

Civil rights activists and security agencies including the police had swooped in on the hospital to ascertain the veracity of the claim only for the medical consultant and owner of the hospital who doubles as a serving permanent Secretary in the state civil service Dr Wisdom Sawyer to produce tangible documented evidence upon which the lady agreed to hand over the child to the state’s welfare service upon delivery since she would not be able to carter for the baby.

Dr sawyer revealed that he was not even on duty when the lady put to bed on February third adding that it was due to the earlier signed undertaking by her that the doctors had to transfer the baby to the government-owned Orphanage in Yenagoa for appropriate welfare.