Two women have been arrested by Delta State Police Command in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area, over the alleged trading of a days-old baby, who was allegedly trafficked from Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Our source said that one of the women, identified simply as Angela, had been parading as a pregnant woman before her arrest with the stolen child on Tuesday afternoon.
It was suspected that one of the suspects, who is linked to a baby trafficking syndicate in Port Harcourt, brokered the deal for the sale of the child, shortly after delivery.
Luck ran out of the baby dealers when a commercial tricycle (keke) operator saw they received the baby and overheard their hushed conversation during the trip from PTI to Jakpa Road, “they chartered my keke to Jakpa Road, but they asked me to stop for them to pick up a package, which turned out to be a newborn baby.”
Angela the purported mother of the child
He said after taking delivery of the baby, a barrage of telephone calls was exchanged between the other accomplice, who later turned out to be a baby seller and callers, “they were asking her to send the balance payment (for the child)’”.
Sensing that the duo stole the baby, the rider bid his time till they got to the busy New Layout Junction on Jakpa Road and raised the alarm, that attracted passersby who subjected the women to separate interrogations.
The interrogations revealed inconsistencies in their narrations about how they came about the baby.
“The woman who claimed to be the mother of the child said she gave birth three days earlier, but when she was asked to call her husband for confirmation, she said his telephone lines were off. She was not even able to name the clinic/maternity where she gave birth when the angry crowd asked her to lead them there.”
“Her accomplice contradicted the baby’s ‘mother’ version, as she claimed the baby was born a week before the incident.”
They were handed over to policemen from Ekpan Police Division, for further investigation.
Although Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Dafe, was not available for comment, sources at the station confirmed that the suspects had confessed that the child was transported from Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
“It is true that we are investigating that incident. We are treating it as a case of ‘baby factory’ and ‘baby trading’,” a police officer familiar with the investigation said.
Meanwhile, another source said the incident could be a key to unlocking the underworld operation of baby factories in Port Harcourt and other parts of the region.
“While at the station, the suspected dealer, received many telephone calls from Port Harcourt informing her of at least two near-born babies that were ready for delivery. They did not know that she was with the police.”
Earlier investigations have revealed that prior to the ‘delivery’ Angela her told her neighbours and friends that she was pregnant and expecting a baby.
