By Ade Oyeyemi
The Oyo State Police Command has rescued a one-month-old baby girl allegedly sold for N2m by her mother in Ido Local Government Area of the state.
The police said the alleged transaction involved the owner of a health facility and two other individuals, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend the suspected buyer and other persons linked to the incident.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan on Saturday.
According to Ayanlade, the case came to light after a woman, Mary Amos, reported the disappearance of her granddaughter to the police at about 6pm on Thursday.
He said Amos alleged that her 23-year-old daughter delivered a baby girl on September 6 at Ebepraise Health Centre in Ido.
The complainant reportedly told the police that her daughter disappeared with the child about a week after the delivery and failed to give a satisfactory explanation about the baby’s whereabouts, prompting suspicions that the infant might have been sold.
Ayanlade said police operatives acted on the complaint and arrested the baby’s mother for questioning.
During interrogation, the woman allegedly disclosed that the owner of the health facility and another suspect, identified as Oludunni, had lured her into the arrangement and facilitated the sale of the child to a person identified as Folawewo.
The police spokesperson said preliminary investigations indicated that the mother received N1m from the N2m transaction, while the health facility owner and Oludunni allegedly collected N500,000 each.
He confirmed that the baby girl had been rescued, adding that investigations were continuing to establish the full circumstances of the incident and apprehend other suspects.
Ayanlade reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting children and other vulnerable persons, urging members of the public to promptly report suspected cases of child trafficking and related offences.
As of the time of filing this report, the police had not announced the arrest of the alleged buyer or the other persons still being sought.
