Edo State Arrests Operator of Illegal Orphanage in Scam

Grace Ef Uwadia, the operator of an illegal orphanage known as Uwadia Children Home located in Owan East Local Government Area, was arrested by the Edo State Police Command over a N2 million adoption scam. Euginia Abdallah, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Thursday.

The investigation was initiated following a formal complaint by Mondai Akpaduma, who encountered irregularities in the adoption process. Akpaduma alleged that after paying a N250,000 processing fee, he was asked to pay an additional N1 million to release the child, with claims that the adoption fee had increased to N2 million.

This raised suspicions, leading to a report to the Ministry. An internal investigation revealed that documents presented by Uwadia were fraudulent, despite being on official Ministry letterhead.

The investigation is ongoing, with efforts to apprehend other individuals connected to the illegal operation.