A foster mother, Cynthia Salami, has accused the Kwara State Ministry of Social Development of defying a court order directing the release of a four-year-old girl, Salami Penuel, who has been in government custody since March 4, 2025.
The child, who has been under Salami’s care since birth, was taken from her and placed at the Children Reception Center (Home for the Needy) in Ilorin, following a complaint by her biological mother, Ayanniyi Oluwatobi.
An interlocutory order issued by the Family Court in Ilorin on March 28 and served on the Commissioner for Social Development on April 7 directed that the child be returned to Salami. However, the ministry has yet to comply.
Speaking at a press conference in Ilorin on Monday, Salami alleged that the ministry is disregarding the court’s directive.
“Penuel is not a needy child,” Salami said. “She is being kept among less privileged children despite having a loving home, family, and resources. This is nothing short of emotional and psychological abuse.”
She recounted meeting Oluwatobi in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown, when the then-19-year-old was brought to her church in what she described as an “unresponsive state.” Salami said her family cared for Oluwatobi and later supported her through pregnancy and childbirth.
“Tobi never showed maternal care. She didn’t breastfeed the baby. I had to buy formula, baby food, and provide constant care,” she claimed.
According to Salami, Oluwatobi abandoned the child and only reappeared after two years to demand custody. The resulting dispute prompted intervention by the Ministry of Justice and Social Development.
“I was invited to present the child for inspection, but to my shock, the ministry ordered me to hand her over to the Home for the Needy without warning or a formal hearing,” she said.
Salami subsequently sought legal redress and secured temporary custody through the Family Court’s March 28 order. Nonetheless, the child remains with the ministry.
Responding through its legal counsel, the Commissioner for Social Development, Hajia Maryam Nnafatima-Imam, stated that the state government had filed a motion to set aside the court order.
“The child is with the state government and is secured. This is with the consent of the biological mother,” the commissioner’s representative said.
“The mother is alive, and we do not grant interviews on child-related cases as it is illegal.”
The legal tussle continues as Salami presses for enforcement of the court’s directive.
