The Rivers State Police Command yesterday charged six persons, including four females to court for allegedly stealing a seven- month-old baby in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt, and selling same for the sum of N200,000.00.
The commissioner of police, Mr. Chris Ezike, who paraded the suspects before charging them to a Magistrates’ Court sitting in the state capital, told newsmen that three of the suspects, Nne Jaju, Yenubari Sergeant and Wisdom Stephen, sneaked through a broken window into the room of the baby’s parents in the night of July 20, 2015 and stole the child.
Ezike said the three suspects later took the child to Nekede in Owerri West local government area of Imo State, where they sold her for N200,000.00 to a 45-year-old woman, Nkechi Anyanwu, pointing out that the buyer and two of her accomplices, Francisca Chukwu and Joy Uzoechi, were all arrested following confessional statements made by the three suspects.
He said, “It isa sad to report the arrest of three suspects, namely Nne Jaju, 22 years old, Yenubari Sergeant, 20 years old and Wisdom Stephen involved in child stealing. The suspects confessed to conspiring and sneaking through a broken window into the room of a 7-month-old baby girl’s parents’ home in the night of July 20, 2015, at Mile 2, Diobu, Port Harcourt and quietly stealing the child.
“The baby was taken to Nekede in Imo State and sold for N200,000.00 to one Nkechi Anyanwu, 45 years old. The accomplices of the buyer, one Francisca Chukwu, 36 years old and Joy Uzoechu, both females, resident at Owerri were equally arrested and have made useful statements.”
The police commissioner, who said it is shameful that youths are involved in the stealing of babies and selling them for peanuts, advised parents to be more careful with their children’s custody and safety.
Ezike said, “It is quite shameful that these youths are involved in the stealing of babies and selling them for peanuts. Parents should be more careful with their children’s custody and safety. These incidents, as sad as they are, remind us that we must continue to work towards ensuring public order and safety.”
“Our youths seem to be missing the honourable path of pursuing decent approaches to success. Their involvement in crime at various levels portends danger to our development as a Nation. We must therefore work together to stamp out crime in our neighbourhoods.”
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