ABEOKUTA, Nigeria – A 33-year-old mother, Olaide Adekunle, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police for allegedly selling her 18-month-old baby for N600,000 ($1,470) to pay off a loan obtained from a microfinance bank. The buyer, who purchased the baby in Lagos, is currently at large.
Police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi disclosed to journalists in Abeokuta on Monday, April 17, 2023, that Adekunle’s arrest came after her husband, Nureni Rasaq, reported the case at the Sango divisional headquarters.
Rasaq said his wife had left for Lagos in March with their baby girl, Moridiat Rasaq, but returned without the child. All efforts to ascertain the baby’s whereabouts were fruitless, as Adekunle was unable to provide any reasonable account.
Upon receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Sango division, Dahiru Saleh, ordered detectives to arrest the suspect.
During interrogation, Adekunle confessed to having sold the baby for N600,000. She cited her inability to repay a loan from a microfinance bank as the reason behind her actions, explaining that the bank agents had threatened her with severe consequences.
Oyeyemi quoted the suspect as saying, “It was consequent upon this that she ran to Lagos and started hawking sachet water. While hawking, she met a man who introduced her to the woman who eventually bought the child in Lagos.”
The acting Commissioner of Police, DCP Babakura Muhammed, has directed that Adekunle be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible recovery of the baby.
