Operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested five suspects in connection with the abduction and illegal sale of a two-week-old baby boy.
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the Command’s spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin.
According to the statement, the case was first reported at the Ajah Police Division on May 5, by a man who raised concerns over the disappearance of his 16-year-old cousin, identified as Miss Happiness.
The complainant revealed that the teenager, who had become pregnant by an unknown person, was placed in the care of one Nonye Osi due to financial hardship. However, Osi allegedly conspired with others to relocate the young girl to an unknown location. When she was eventually found, she was no longer pregnant, and the baby was missing.
The case was subsequently transferred to the SCID for further investigation, leading to the arrest of five suspects: Nonye Osi (female), Akintan Adedayo (female), Jimoh Bashiru (male), Elizabeth Bishop (female), and Bukola Oladapo (female).
Police investigations revealed that the suspects had conspired to sell the newborn for N3 million.
Following what the police described as “painstaking efforts,” detectives traced the baby to Agemuwo in the Badagry area of Lagos, where he was successfully recovered.
“The two-week-old baby boy was found safe and sound. The Gender/Anti-Human Trafficking Unit is currently handling the case and attending to the baby, who is in good health, pending his reunion with his biological mother,” Hundeyin said.
The police emphasized that investigations are ongoing to ensure that all parties involved in the crime are brought to justice. The Command reaffirmed its commitment to the safety and protection of all residents.
This case echoes a similar incident in 2024, when a 39-year-old man, Yusuf Umar of Dagu village in Warji LGA of Bauchi State, was arrested for attempting to sell his five-year-old daughter for N1.5 million.