Court remands alleged kidnappers who sold off stolen baby for N650,000

Govt. hands woman over to police for attempting to murder stepchildren in Osun

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos yesterday ordered the remand in Correctional Service of two women, Mercy Samson and Stella Madueke, who allegedly kidnapped and sold a three-year-old baby (name withheld) at the price of N650,000.
 
The judge ordered their remand following their arraignment on a five-count charge by the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State command. They were alleged to have conspired, kidnapped and obtained money by false pretense.

The police prosecutor, Joseph Eboseremen, alleged that the two women kidnapped a three-year-old baby at Mountain of Fire and Prayer Ministries Church, in Agege area of Lagos. Eboseremen told the court that the defendants kidnapped the baby during a church service and sold her to one Chikodi at the sum of N650,000.

The defendants were said to have fraudulently obtained the sum of N700,000 from one Magus Nwaigbo on the pretence of adopting a baby from an orphanage. “On March 24, 2019 at Igando area of Lagos, the defendants did obtained the sum of N700,000 from one Magnus Nwaigbo under the pretence that they have a girl from the Holy Infant Orphanage home meant for adoption. This was a presentation they knew to be false.”

Their offences are punishable under Section 2 and 3 of the Kidnapping Prohibition Laws of Lagos State 2017. The duo, however, pleaded not guilty to all the count charges. Justice Taiwo therefore ordered remand of the defendants at the Correctional Service custody and adjourned trial to March 18.

Meanwhile, the Osun State government yesterday apprehended a woman for child abuse and attempted murder and handed her over to the police. The middle-aged woman, according to the Commissioner for Women, Children and Social Affairs, Olubukola Olaboopo, tortured her three stepchildren, inflicted injuries on them and even attempted to murder them.

Olaboopo, in a statement she issued, said a resident had alerted her ministry of the stepmother’s maltreatment of the children before the ministry stormed her house in Obaagun, Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state and rescued the children.She explained that the ministry rescued the children from their stepmother who allegedly maltreated, abused and attempted to murder them. Olaboopo noted that the woman would be prosecuted according to the law.

The Guardian gathered that the victims’ mother had separated from her husband and had left the house, leaving her children with their stepmother.
Meanwhile, the ministry has warned women who have divorced their husbands against leaving their children for another woman to cater for. She vowed that the state government would continue to see to the welfare of women and children.

“A Good Samaritan informed the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Affairs through the ministry’s social media handle that a woman has been abusing and attempting to murder her three stepchildren in Obaagun. Based on this information, we swung into action and necessary steps were taken to rescue the children and the woman has been detained.The State Government will do everything within her reach to ensure that justice takes its course’’.