How woman traded N200, cornmeal for days-old baby from 23-yr-old mother

Ganiyat Abass and Olatunbosun stole a six-day-old baby from Jemilat Musa at Agbele Compound, Iwo, Osun, but neighbours intervened, leading the couple to give explanations that sounded too good to believe or dismiss

The Iwo Division of the Nigeria Police had alleged that she was arrested March 24 after an alarm was raised of a missing child and the child was found stuffed in a shopping bag.

“The first suspect went to the apartment of the mother pretending to be her sister-in-law, trickly gave her some wraps of cornmeal and sum of N200 to go and buy bean cake (Moi-Moi). Shortly after the baby’s mother left to buy the bean cake, the suspect quickly put the baby inside a sack and ran away. Suspects were arrested at the early hours of today 25th March 2022 in collaboration with the civilian JTF,” the state’s Police Commissioner Olawale Olokode authorities said.

“During interrogation, they confessed to the crime.”

But the couple had their explanations.

According to Ganiyat, the 23-year-old nursing mother is mentally unstable, and both are friends.

In her statement before journalists, Ganiyat said she was a friend to Jemilat, the mentally challenged mother of the child and had given her money to buy bean cake.

She said all through Jemilat’s pregnancy, she was always by her side, clothing and feeding her.

Ganiyat added she came to see Olatuosun in the area, and she was going there carrying Jemilats days-old baby when the community suspected her.

Her husband however said he knew nothing about the theft.

All he knew was Ganiyat told him she was pregnant and always demanded money for a scan from him,which he always gave her.

Jemilat’s mother said her daughter was no friends with Ganiyat, adding the suspect just wanted to steal the newborn baby.

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Olokode said suspects will be charged to court after the completion of investigations.