The police in Lagos State have arrested a
woman, Jennifer Onyebuchi, for allegedly stealing a nine-month-old baby
in the Ajegunle area of the state, and fleeing with him to Anambra
State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that
Onyebuchi, who allegedly took the baby to Okija, Anambra State, was
arrested on September 30 by operatives from the Lagos command, while the
baby was also rescued.
Our correspondent gathered that
Onyebuchi, who also hails from Anambra, had befriended the baby’s
mother, Aina Adetola, for about two weeks before she reportedly carried
out the act.
A
resident of Orodu Street, where the suspect and the victim’s mother
were shop owners, told our correspondent that Onyebuchi allegedly lied
that she was going to buy an item for the baby when she fled with him.
The resident, who identified himself only
as Uche, said, “It was on Saturday, September 26. We were all shocked
that Jennifer (Onyebuchi) escaped with the nine-month-old baby. She had
met the victim’s mother for just two weeks before she carried out the
act.
“They were both shop owners in the area.
On that day, Jennifer took the baby from his mother when he was crying
and said she was going to buy him a bottle of soft drink from a nearby
shop.
“When the mother waited for them to
return, but did not see them, she raised the alarm. The matter was
thereafter reported at the Ajegunle Police Division. Nobody suspected
that Jennifer had a devilish motive. It turned out that the woman took
the baby to a bus station and travelled on the same day to Okija,
Anambra State.”
Our correspondent learnt that police
operatives from Lagos, after being briefed on the incident, went on the
trail of the suspect.
It was gathered that after four days of hiding, Onyebuchi was arrested in Okija, while the baby was also rescued by the police.
The baby’s mother, Adetola, told our
correspondent that her husband sent her packing from their house, when
he discovered that she had given their baby in error to a stranger.
She said, “I could not eat for four days.
I thought I was going to run mad. I wanted to kill myself, but people
continued to calm me down. My husband was so angry that he sent me out
of his apartment, and I had to be sleeping in my friend’s house. He said
if I did not bring the baby back, I should not return to his apartment.
I wept throughout that period.
“I first met Jennifer (Onyebuchi) at a
filling station around Boundary bus stop in Ajegunle. She would always
assist me when I wanted to buy petrol. She had a shop in the area too.
On that Saturday, she had come to my shop when my baby was crying. She
carried him and said she was going to buy a drink for him.
“That was my mistake. After hours of
waiting for them, I rushed to Akinbo Street at the house where I knew
Jennifer stayed, only to be told that she had travelled. I was shocked.
That was when I went to the police to make a report.”
A police source in Ajegunle said when
operatives visited Jennifer’s rented apartment, a lover who harboured
her told the police that he did not know the suspect’s relation except a
spare parts dealer who brought her from the village.
He said, “The police located the spare
parts dealer, who suggested that the woman might have travelled to her
hometown in Okija, Anambra State. So, the dealer and the police went to
Anambra, and they were on her trail for two days.
“On Wednesday, she was arrested. She and the baby were brought back to Lagos on the eve of Nigeria’s Independence Day.
“Some of the residents of the area wanted
the police to release the suspect to them, so they would mob her, but
that did not happen.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations
Officer, DSP Joe Offor, had yet to be reached for comment on the
incident, as his line did not connect as of press time.
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