Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested a middle-aged woman for allegedly abducting two infants from different mothers in a desperate attempt to replace her deceased twin babies ahead of a planned church dedication ceremony.
The suspect, identified simply as Joy, reportedly confessed that she stole the children to conceal the death of her twins from her husband and members of their church.
The spokesperson for the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed the development in a video shared with journalists on Wednesday.
According to Edafe, the woman first abducted a three-month-old baby after befriending the child's 18-year-old mother and gaining her trust.
He explained that the suspect approached the young mother under the guise of offering assistance before disappearing with the infant.
“About two weeks earlier, she had established a relationship with an 18-year-old mother after meeting her through a roadside ticket seller. One day, she offered to help carry the baby and buy sweets, but she fled with the child,” Edafe said.
The police spokesman said the suspect later struck again by allegedly luring a 14-year-old girl who was carrying a four-month-old baby.
He said the woman pretended she wanted to buy groundnuts and used the opportunity to deceive the teenager before escaping with the infant.
Edafe lamented what he described as growing negligence among parents and guardians, urging them to be more vigilant with their children.
He said investigations revealed that the suspect kept the two babies, a boy and a girl, in her residence in Uzere community while preparing for a church thanksgiving and dedication service.
“She was trying to create twins for herself. The two children were recovered from where she kept them,” he said.
Speaking during interrogation, the suspect admitted to stealing the babies after the death of her biological twins.
She claimed that her one-month-old twins died after they were allegedly bathed with cold water while she was away at the market.
“I gave birth to twins, but they died when they were one month and two weeks old. My husband had already invited people for their dedication,” she said.
Joy further confessed that she abducted the first child about three weeks ago and later stole another baby shortly before the planned dedication ceremony.
“I stole the first baby and later took the second one because the dedication was fixed for Sunday. I wanted a boy and a girl,” she reportedly told investigators.
The police have commenced further investigations into the case, while the rescued children have been reunited with their families.
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