Operatives of the Ondo Police Command have arrested a 35-year-old woman, Funmi Mogbojuri, for stealing a day-old baby in Okitipupa, Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state.
The suspect was arrested in Sagamu, Ogun State, after a week of thorough searching and investigation before the suspect was found with the baby.
She was alleged of stealing the baby from the residence of her mother the very day the baby was born in Okitipupa and took the baby to Sagamu.
Speaking on the development, the mother of the stolen baby, Mrs Binta Alhassan told journalists that the suspect, Funmi, had lived with her man friend in the house before the man packed out.
She, however, said that the suspect came to the house one evening to visit her sister but said the sister had moved out of her residence and didn’t have anywhere to sleep.
She asked for assistance from Mrs Alhassan who allowed her to stay the night in the room where her lover had just vacated and was served dinner.
She, however, said Funmi left with the baby the following morning when she left for the bathroom, saying she raised the alarm when she discovered the suspect had left with her baby.
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She said: “To my dismay, while on my way from the bathroom the following morning, the woman had disappeared with my baby who had not even been breastfed by then.”
In her narration of the incident, the suspect said she could not understand the spirit that overcome her that made her steal the baby.
The Ilaje-born suspect disclosed that she gave birth to two children who are with her husband in the Republic of Benin after the marriage collapsed.
According to her, “it was not intentional, I will just beg Nigerians to forgive me. Truly, I stole the child and I did that in order to take good care of the child. I have given birth before, but I never had a child for the husband I am presently with. I just like the child that’s why I abducted the child because I have not conceived for my present husband.
“The husband I married now did not know anything about the situation, I lied to him that I was pregnant. This would be the second time I would abduct a child so I am just pleading for forgiveness.”
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Funmilayo Odunlami, disclosed that the suspect was arrested five days after the baby was stolen.
She said the suspect presented the baby to her husband as her own baby having feigned her pregnancy for months.
The Police image-maker revealed that the suspect had been involved in another similar incident in which she allegedly stole a baby, but the baby died as a result of not being breastfed for days.
She assured that the suspect would be arraigned after the completion of an investigation into the incident.
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