Rewrite Two Women Arrested for Allegedly Steal!ng Three-Day-Old Baby in Delta
Police in Delta State have arrested two women for allegedly stealing a three-day-old baby and attempting to sell him.
SP Bright Edafe, spokesperson for the command, confirmed the arrests, stating that on October 1 at approximately 6:30 PM, a tricycle rider (name withheld) reported to the Ekpan police station that four women had boarded his tricycle. Upon reaching Effurun roundabout, two of the women got off.
One of the women who exited handed the newborn baby boy to the two women remaining in the tricycle, and the rider overheard one of them saying, “the balance has been paid,” instructing them to inform her upon reaching their destination. The tricycle rider cleverly diverted the two women, identified as Tessi Ikechukwu and Lauretta Akomen, along with the baby, to the Ekpan Police Station.
Preliminary investigations revealed that 38-year-old Lauretta Akomen had purchased the baby for Two Million Naira (₦2,000,000) from a traditional home in Port Harcourt that harbors teenage girls and facilitates s*xual encounters with men until they become pregnant, after which the babies are sold to those seeking children.
The police spokesperson noted that Akomen also admitted to taking a drug that made her appear pregnant.
She subsequently led DPO CSP Aliyu Shaba and other operatives to the home of one Gloria (surname unknown), who acted as an intermediary between her and the traditional home. Both suspects are currently in custody, while a manhunt for additional accomplices is underway.