The Delta State Police Command has apprehended two women involved in a suspected child-stealing syndicate, rescuing a three-day-old baby in the process.
The arrest was made following a tip-off from a vigilant tricycle rider on October 1, 2024, Independence Day.
According to The PUNCH, the rider, whose identity remains undisclosed, noticed suspicious behavior when four women boarded his tricycle. At the Effurun roundabout, two of the women alighted, with one handing a newborn baby to the remaining passengers.
The rider overheard one of the women say, “The balance has been paid,” and instruct the others to inform her once they reached their destination.
Sensing foul play, the tricycle rider diverted the women to the Ekpan Police Station, where they were later identified as Tessi Ikechukwu and Lauretta Akomen.
Police investigations revealed that 38-year-old Akomen had purchased the baby for ₦2 million from a traditional home in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where teenage girls are reportedly impregnated, and their babies sold to individuals seeking children.
Akomen confessed to the scheme, explaining that she had been administered a drug to simulate pregnancy as part of the operation. She subsequently led the authorities to a woman named Gloria, who acted as the intermediary between her and the traditional home.
Both suspects are now in police custody as a manhunt is underway for other accomplices involved in the syndicate.
Reacting to the arrest, Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, praised the tricycle rider for his “vigilance and patriotic act,” urging the public to remain alert and report suspicious activities to law enforcement.
