[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24291]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        BRING OUR CHILDREN HOME

  (Mr. LAMPSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, Uchechi Anyanwu is a U.S. citizen born of 
Nigerian nationals who were here with U.S. green cards. She had a 
younger sister, Ogechi, also born in the U.S. Because of marital 
problems, the family went back to Nigeria. When they arrived there, the 
father informed the mother that the marriage was over, took possession 
of the mother's passport and the children. He wanted to get a divorce 
in Nigeria to avoid having to pay child support.
  The mother was able to escape with her family's help. When she came 
back to the United States, the mother immediately got temporary 
custody. The father came back to the U.S. without the children. The 
mother and father appeared before a judge in August of 1997 and the 
judge ordered the return of the children. He refused, and has been in 
jail ever since.
  The children were allegedly with a paternal aunt and uncle in Lagos, 
Nigeria. In November 1997, the mother got word that the younger 
daughter, Ogechi, died of malnutrition. The uncle was jailed for 2\1/2\ 
months for the murder of his niece, but then was released.
  Interpol has verified the child's death, but the burial site is 
unknown. Interpol has checked at the aunt's and uncle's home for the 
surviving child, but has not found her there. Uchechi's mom has hired 
an attorney in Logos, who took all her money and disappeared.
  Mr. Speaker, do we have to wait until children die before this 
Congress takes notice of children being taken across our borders? It is 
time to bring our children home.

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