A 25-year-old housewife, Mrs. Chinaza Nwankwo, and her mother, Mrs. Felicia Igwe, have been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Nnewi, Anambra State, over the alleged concealment of the birth and disappearance of a male infant.
The two defendants, who pleaded not guilty, are facing a two-count charge alongside other suspects said to be at large in Suit No. NMC/1525/2026 before Court II of the Nnewi Chief Magistrate’s Court.
According to the charge, the defendants allegedly conspired on October 30, 2025, at Otolo, Nnewi, to conceal the birth of a male child.
They are also accused of concealing the remains of the child from his biological father and members of his family after the infant was allegedly delivered at Family Pillars Dialysis and Maternity Hospital, Umuanuka, Otolo, Nnewi.
The offences are said to be punishable under Sections 496(a) and 284 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 36, Vol. II, Revised Laws of Anambra State.
The defendants were first arraigned on June 19, 2026, and pleaded not guilty. They were subsequently granted bail after meeting the court’s conditions, including two sureties each valued at ₦500,000 in investment in Nnewi.
The matter came up again on August 7, when the petitioner’s husband and first defendant’s spouse, Mr. Victor Nwankwo, appeared before the court and gave an account of the circumstances surrounding the reported death and disappearance of the child.
Nwankwo told the court that his wife’s sister informed him by telephone on October 30, 2025, that Chinaza had delivered a baby boy but that the child had died.
He said he instructed that the child be kept until he could get to the hospital, but later sent his friend, Mr. Chigozie Onwunzo, with ₦100,000 to settle the hospital bills and retrieve the child’s body.
According to him, Onwunzo was later informed by Mrs. Igwe that the child had already been buried.
Nwankwo alleged that repeated requests for photographs, videos or other evidence of the child’s death and burial yielded no satisfactory response, prompting him to conduct further inquiries.
He further alleged that information gathered during his inquiries suggested that the child might not have died at birth but could have been handed over to another person.
Nwankwo alleged that his wife, mother-in-law and the proprietor of the maternity hospital were involved in the alleged transfer of the child to a man identified as Mr. Obiano.
The defence counsel subsequently applied for an adjournment and requested the case file for examination.
The trial magistrate adjourned the matter to October 6, 15, 21 and 23, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
The court has not established what happened to the infant. Allegations that the child was transferred, sold or otherwise unlawfully handed over remain claims by the petitioner and have not been proven.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty, and the prosecution will be required to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
