Residents of Abuja have decried illegal ways people adopt children in the country and called on Government to regulate agencies involved in child adoption process.

Reports gathered by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in different interviews revealed that most people adopt illegally thereby subjecting the adopted children to all forms of

abuse.

Some of the residents also claimed that adopted children sometimes became victims of trafficking and rituals.

They, therefore, emphasised the need for government to establish a supervisory Agency that would be charged with the responsibilities of day to day monitoring of adoption homes.

Mrs Ronke Ogunyombo, a school teacher said “child adoption is good if it is for genuine purpose and well regulated’’.

Ogunyombo, a nursing mother said he had wanted to adopt a child after six years of marriage without pregnancy, before she was blessed by God.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong in child adoption if conducted in the right way and with the right motive”

“Couples for instance who are married for years without issue could decide to adopt in order to fulfill their desire to have children.

“Some aged couples who desired company of children may decide to adopt when their children are all grown up and are living apart.

“Child adoption helps to give the child a sense of belonging and ensures a better future for the child depending on the economic status of the adoptee.

“However, the processes must be properly regulated because it is possible that the couple who adopt might abuse the child.

“There is the temptation to use the adopted child for evil practices like child-trafficking, street trading and rituals.

“To check these excesses, government should monitor the activities of all the orphanages and motherless baby homes,’’ she said.

Mrs Racheal Ayuba, a nurse in a private hospital in Kubwa, said child adoption has become a common trend but often abused because of lack of regulation.

She said from her experiences as a nurse, she got reports of many single mothers going outside Abuja to adopt children.

“The trend now is that many adoptees go to remote villages in other regions of the country where they operate illegal homes.

“They pay as much as N500,000 to N1m for a child without leaving any contact with the homes.

“These illegal homes are interested in the money and not in the welfare of the children.