The Edo State Government has arrested the proprietress of an illegal orphanage in Afuze, Owan East Local Government Area, following the discovery of an alleged adoption scam that saw a prospective adoptive parent extorted out of hundreds of thousands of naira through forged government documents.
The orphanage, identified as Uwadia Children Home, was shut down by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, and its operator, an elderly woman named Mrs. Grace Efe Uwadia, has been handed over to the Aideyan Police Station in Benin City for investigation and prosecution.
The case came to light after a man, Mr. Monday Akpaduma, filed a formal complaint with the ministry following a series of suspicious demands made during what he believed was a legitimate adoption process.
According to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Akpaduma had initially applied to adopt a child through the orphanage and paid N250,000 as a processing fee. He was later asked to pay an additional one million naira before the child could be released to him. After extended delays, he was then told the adoption fee had been revised upward to two million naira, a figure attributed to the ministry itself. That claim triggered his suspicion and prompted him to go directly to the ministry to verify.
An internal investigation launched in response revealed that all documents presented to Akpaduma bearing the ministry’s name were fraudulent. They had been produced on an outdated ministry letterhead and did not originate from the ministry in any official capacity.
Akpaduma further alleged that a staff member of the Social Welfare Department in Owan East Local Government Council, identified as Mr. Vincent Ogbodo, was the source of the forged documents, pointing to possible collusion between the council official and the illegal orphanage. Ogbodo was not present at his office at the time of the operation and has not yet been arrested, though the Commissioner confirmed that efforts to apprehend him are ongoing.
The children found at the orphanage have since been evacuated to a safe location by the ministry. Some of them are currently receiving medical treatment, though the Commissioner did not specify the nature of their medical needs.
She used the occasion to reiterate that the Edo State Government does not charge arbitrary or inflated fees for adoption and urged members of the public to verify any adoption-related correspondence directly with the ministry before making any payments. She also called on residents to report suspicious activities involving children or welfare institutions to the appropriate authorities.
Investigations into the full scope of the operation are continuing.
