The Police Command in Delta State has arrested a woman on suspicion of selling her two-month-old baby for ₦1.5 million.
Bright Edafe, the police spokesperson in Delta, announced this to reporters on Friday in Warri.
Superintendent Edafe stated that the suspect, identified as Rita Ughale, allegedly staged her baby’s abduction. The incident reportedly occurred on Monday along the Ekpan Link Road in the Uvwie Local Government Area.
Mr Edafe explained that shortly after the incident, the suspect reported the matter at the Ekpan Police Division.
“The suspect claimed that her two-month-old baby was snatched from her during a robbery while she was travelling in a tricycle,” he said.
Upon receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer of Ekpan, CSP Labe Joseph, promptly mobilised officers to coordinate a swift search and rescue operation.
Mr Edafe noted that inconsistencies and suspicious behaviour displayed by the woman during the investigation led to further questioning.
According to Edafe, during this interrogation, the suspect confessed that the incident was fabricated. She revealed that she had sold her baby to a couple for ₦1.5 million.
He added that the buyers were arrested, and the infant was rescued.
The police spokesperson confirmed that the suspects are currently in custody while investigations continue. He also mentioned that efforts are underway to apprehend other accomplices for prosecution.
In May, police apprehended a 16-year-old student at a private secondary school in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, who had faked her own kidnapping, demanding a ransom of ₦2 million for her release from a family member.
In August, authorities arrested Moses Amarks, an 18-year-old student at the College of Health in Kwamba, Suleja, Niger State, for allegedly orchestrating his own kidnapping to extort ₦50 million from his parents. He and his accomplices reportedly used a hidden number to contact his mother, making ransom demands.
(NAN)