A foster mother, Pastor Cynthia Salami, has called on the Kwara State Ministry of Social Development to obey a court order mandating the release of a four-year-old girl, Salami Penuel Mololuwa, who has allegedly remained in state custody despite legal directives.

The child, who has lived with Pastor Salami since birth, was removed from her care and placed at the state-run Children Reception Center on March 4, following a custody complaint filed by her biological mother, Ayanniyi Oluwatobi. The Family Court in Ilorin granted Salami interim custody on March 28, but the child is yet to be returned.

Speaking at a press conference in Ilorin, Salami accused the Ministry of Social Development of ignoring the court order and abusing its power. She narrated how she met the child’s mother during the COVID-19 lockdown and took care of both her and the newborn, claiming the mother showed no interest in the child for two years.

Salami expressed shock over the Ministry’s decision to take the child away without a formal hearing, saying, “The commissioner gave Penuel away. I was crying, and Penuel was also crying. She didn’t understand what was happening.” She maintains that the child was emotionally attached and had a stable, loving home.

She described the child’s placement among underprivileged children as unjust and harmful, saying it amounts to emotional and psychological abuse. Salami insists she only seeks to provide a safe, nurturing environment for Penuel, whom she has raised since birth.

Reacting, the Commissioner for Social Development, Hajia Maryam Nnafatima-Imam, said through legal counsel that the state is taking steps to set aside the court’s order. She emphasized that the biological mother is alive and that the child’s current custody arrangement is with her consent.