By Deborah Nnamdi
Residents of Aneke Lane in Mile 2 area of Diobu, Port Harcourt, have been left perplexed after a man simply identified as Erika, absconded with his neighbour’s six-months-old baby, leaving the distraught mother in agony.
Local sources said Erika (probably a pseudonym), who hailed from Akwa Ibom State, had barely lived in the compound for two months when he fobbed the mother out of her child and fled the compound on Sunday.
One source said, “The man only recently moved into the company where he ran dog meat (404) business. He killed and sold dog meat at the front of the compound.”
The grief-stricken mother told newsmen on Monday: “My baby’s name is Lucky Sunday. The baby is six months – going to seven months. I stay at No. 25 Aneke Lane, Mile 2 Diobu, Port Harcourt.
“I wanted to wash (clothing items) he (suspect) said ‘let me help you carry the baby so that you can spread the clothes’.
“Then I give my baby to him. Why I give out my baby is that he likes to carry my baby always.
“So I started chasing my other children to go inside and sleep while he sat on the chair while carrying my baby. By the time I took my other children inside and came out, I did not see him again.
“I asked a woman if she saw my neighbor with my baby she said he did not go far. I asked one brother, and the brother said I should go to the lotto office because the brother (neighbour) said he wanted to charge the phone there. I ran to the lotto office, but I did not see him. Till now, I have not seen my neighbour and my baby.
“His name is Erica, and he is my neighbor. I have also reported to the Police,”.
We gathered that the incident had been reported to the Azikiwe Police Division at Illoabuchi, in the Mile 2 area of the state capital.
The Rivers State police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko could not be reached for questions at the time of filing this report.
