The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a woman who ran away with a three-day-old baby in Ibadan, the state capital.
The suspect, 23-year-old Adepoju, who lives in Lagos, after tricking a woman of being in dire need of accommodation, had absconded with the woman’s three-day-old baby girl last week.
The mother of the baby, Monsurat Lateef, lives in the Itamerin area, Ogbere, Ona Ara Local Government Area in Ibadan.
According to a statement by the command’s spokesperson, SP Adewale Osifeso, 36-year-old Monsurat Lateef gave birth to a female child on Saturday, July 16, 2022, at Yahora Faith Mission, Itamerin, Ogbere, Ibadan.
“On Tuesday, 19/07/2022, she proceeded to Abaemu General Hospital, Ona-Ora to commence immunisation proceedings for her daughter from where she met the suspect who approached her as a friendly patient who also sought medical intervention.
“Unknowing to Monsurat, the suspect had just suffered a stillbirth and had been referred to the same health facility for scan.
“They got chatting and the suspect indicated interest in moving down to Ibadan from Lagos and was in dire need of accommodation.
“Monsurat Lateef ‘f’ ’36yrs’, driven by empathy decided to oblige the total stranger by assisting her with the house search.
“In furtherance to the above, the complainant decided to invite her (the suspect) over to spend the night because at the time, the house searching had encroached into late evening.
“In what seemed a premeditated action around 1300HRS, the suspect, Itunu Adepoju who had now totally gained the confidence and trust of her host, pleaded to use a nearby point of sales terminal with the three-day-old baby carefully tucked on her back.The money she intended to collect, according to her, was sent by her fiance for the purpose of completing the rent process.
“The complainant, Monsurat Lateef, obliged the suspect before she later realised she had been tricked and that the suspect had absconded with her child,” Osifeso said.
He added that the matter would be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.
Meanwhile, Osifeso has enjoined residents of the state to remain cooperative and unrelenting with providing timely and credible information, capable of nipping crime in the bud at all times.
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