Photo: Police arrest woman
The police command in Ogun says it has arrested a 23-year-old woman, Mary Olutayo, for allegedly selling her three-week-old baby in Anambra for N600,000.
Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, a Superintendent of Police and the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Thursday.
Oyeyemi said that the woman was arrested on Aug.18.
He explained that the suspect was arrested following a complaint from the father of the baby, who reported the case at the Mowe Police Divisional Headquarters in the state.
Oyeyemi said, “The baby’s father reported that he met Olatayo sometime ago and they started dating.
“He stated further that Olatayo got pregnant in the process and he rented an apartment for her where she lived till she delivered the baby boy.
“He explained that the suspect suddenly disappeared with the baby from the apartment three weeks after delivery only for her to be found in a hotel where she had gone to hookup with another man.
“All efforts to know where the baby was proved futile.”
The PPRO, said the Mowe Divisional Police Officer (DPO), SP Folake Afeniforo, detailed detectives to the scene where the suspect was arrested and brought to the station.
Oyeyemi stated that, on interrogation, Olatayo confessed to the police that she had sold the baby to someone in Anambra state for N600,000.
The police spokesperson added that the suspect also confessed that it was her friend Chioma Ogbonna who led her to the buyer in Anambra state and that they both shared the money equally.
“Her confession led to the arrest of Ogbonna who also corroborated Mary’s claims,” Oyeyemi said.
Oyeyemi said the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Lanre Bankole, had ordered the transfer of the two suspects to the Anti Human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation.
He added that the Commissioner of Police also directed that everything possible must be done to recover the baby.
