Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
What began as a personal tragedy has spiraled into a criminal investigation in Delta State, where a middle-aged woman was arrested for allegedly stealing two babies from different mothers. Authorities say she intended to pass the infants off as her own during a church dedication service after reportedly losing her twin babies.
According to the Delta State Police Command, the suspect was nabbed after allegedly abducting the babies in an attempt to avoid embarrassment.
Investigators say she confessed that her actions were driven by pressure, as her husband had already announced plans for a child dedication and thanksgiving service in their church within days.
She reportedly told investigators that her twin babies passed away a few days before their planned church thanksgiving ceremony. Fearing the reaction of her husband and others, she allegedly concealed the loss and sought out other babies to present as her own.
Narrating the incident, the State Police Command’s image maker, SP, Bright Edafe, said in a video shared with journalists on Wednesday: “I remember one time the command did a video about how parents should be watchful and mindful of their children.
The Police cannot be everywhere at the same time, whether we accept that as a reality or not.
“About three days ago, we had a very disturbing report about a woman who came in and said she wanted to buy groundnuts. While they were looking for the groundnuts for her, she somehow misled the 14-year-old who was holding a baby, and she went away with a four-month-old baby.
“Prior to the abduction of this child, she had done it a week ago or two weeks ago thereabout. She went to a roadside ticket seller and told her that she was looking for a house help.
“She established a relationship with the 18-year-old girl that had a child. Then one day, she said, ‘Let me help you carry this baby and buy sweets from there, she ran away.
“Tell me how a mother would give her child to a stranger to carry a three-month-old child. She was trying to manufacture twins in her own way. She kept them in her house in Uzere,” Edafe said.
The suspect, who identified herself as Joy, confessed that she resorted to stealing the children after allegedly losing her own twin babies.
“I got pregnant and had twin children. When they were one month and two weeks old, I left them to go to the market. Before I came back, they had used cold water to bathe the twins and they both died.
“My husband had already invited people for child dedication, so I decided to steal two children, a boy and a girl.
“I stole the first baby three weeks ago and later stole the other one on Saturday because the dedication was on Sunday,” she narrated.
