26-year-old woman nabbed in Lagos trying to sell 9-month-old baby

A 26-year-old woman, Maria Ahmadu, has been arrested by the police in Lagos for allegedly attempting to sell her nine-month-old baby.

Spokesman of the State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the arrest of Ahmadu alongside an accomplice, Oge Okolie, in a statement on Saturday, said the suspects were rescued from a mob in the Oshodi area of the state.

Hundeyin said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) were alerted to the area where an angry mob was about lynching the accused on Friday where they were rescued and taken into custody.

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The police spokesman said the crime was perpetrated between Ahmadu and Okolie, who acted as the intermediary between the baby’s mother and the prospective buyer.

“Passengers on a public bus noticed ceaseless crying from the baby with Okolie and questioned why she could not breastfeed the child if she was the biological mother.

“The suspect was about to be lynched when RRS operatives quickly stepped in to rescue her as well as the baby,” Hundeyin said.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the baby’s mother, one Maria Ahmadu, aged 26, allegedly gave her child to Oge to sell. This led to the arrest of the young mother.

“The suspects and the baby have been transferred to the Gender Unit of the Command for further investigation and prosecution,” he added.