Dare Babalola
The Lagos State Police Command has taken a 30-year-old man into custody on allegations that he sold his one-month-old niece for N2 million.
The suspect, a resident of Igbogbo in the Ikorodu area of the state, claimed that he sold his younger sister’s baby to fund their mother’s burial.
The incident was reported to the police by the baby’s mother, leading to the arrest of the suspect.
Reacting to the incident, the State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, has directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Panti for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Lagos, the suspect who confessed to the act, blamed poverty for his actions.
The suspect claimed that he met the woman who bought the baby on Facebook.
“Hardship pushed me to commit the act. My sister agreed to the idea.
“I met the woman who is in need of a child on Facebook, and after negotiations, she asked me to bring the baby to Mile 2.
“I went to the location with my sister, where a man sent by the buyer collected the baby and the woman transferred N2 million to my account,” he said.
The suspect said he gave his sister N500,000 out the money and used the balance to organise their mother’s burial.
He said after the burial, his sister demanded the return of her baby, alleging that he used charms on her to convince her to sell the child.
“My sister later said she was not aware of the sale, and reported me to the police which led to my arrest,” he said.
The suspect said he did not know the buyer personally and had no information about her address, adding that her phone number had not been reachable since the purchase.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCID, Mr Dayo Akinbisehin, told NAN that investigations into the case were ongoing.
Akinbisehin said that the suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
