Crimes

Woman sells 18-month-old baby for N600,000 to pay bank loan in Ogun

The operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a 33-year-old woman for allegedly selling her 18-month-old baby for N600,000 in Sango-Ota area of the state.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, made the disclosure via a statement issued on Monday, April 17.

Oyeyemi, who said the identity of the suspected buyer was yet to be ascertained, disclosed that the 33-year-old woman was arrested following a complaint lodged at the Sango Divisional Headquarters by her husband, Nureni Rasaq.

“Rasaq reported that his wife left home for Lagos on March 15, with their baby girl but returned home without the baby.

“He said that all efforts to know what happened to the baby failed because the woman was unable to give any reasonable account of the whereabouts of the baby,” he said.

Oyeyemi said upon the complaint, the Divisional Police Officer, Sango Division, CSP Dahiru Saleh, directed his detectives to go after the woman, adding that she was promptly arrested.

The police spokesperson said on interrogation, the suspect confessed that she sold the 18-month-old baby to someone in Lagos for N600,000.

Oyeyemi said when asked why she sold her baby, the 33-year-old woman said that she borrowed money from a microfinance bank and when she was unable to pay back the money, the bank agents started threatening to deal with her.

“She ran to Lagos and started hawking sachet water. It was while hawking that she met a man, who introduced her to the woman who eventually bought the child,” he added.

The Acting Ogun State Commissioner of Police, DCP Babakura Muhammed, has however directed that the suspect be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation and possible recovery of the 18-month-old baby.

The Star