The Edo State Government has arrested a woman named Grace Efe Uwadia, who operates an illegal orphanage called Uwadia Children Home in Afuze, Owan East Local Government Area. The arrest was confirmed by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Euginia Abdallah, in a statement on Thursday, April 22.
Abdallah stated that the arrest was prompted by an alleged adoption scam. Uwadia has been handed over to the Edo State Police Command for further investigation and prosecution. Ministry officials are already meeting to extend the search for similar illegal facilities in other parts of the state.
The incident was triggered by a formal complaint from a victim identified as Monday Akpaduma, who approached the ministry after encountering irregularities in an adoption process. A senior staff member of the ministry revealed that Akpaduma alleged he initially applied to adopt a child through the orphanage and paid N250,000 as a processing fee. He claimed he was subsequently asked to pay an additional N1 million before the child could be released.
“After prolonged delays, he was allegedly informed that the adoption fee had been increased to N2 million by the ministry, a claim that raised his suspicion and prompted him to report directly to the ministry,” the senior staff member said.
An internal investigation was immediately launched, which revealed that all documents presented by Akpaduma were fraudulent and did not originate from the ministry, despite being issued on an old ministry letterhead. Investigations pointed to a staff member of the Social Welfare Department in Owan East Local Government Council as the source of the documents, suggesting possible collusion with the illegal orphanage.
The local government official could not be arrested at the time of the operation, as he was not present in the office. “He may have heard of the visit from the ministry and left his seat, so he was not around when ministry officials visited the council. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend him, and all individuals connected to the illegal operation will be brought to justice,” the staff member explained.
“We can also confirm that the proprietor of the illegal orphanage has been handed over to the state Police Command in Benin for further investigation and prosecution,” she added.
