A Revered Father has been arrested alongside others following his alleged involvement in the stealing of an 18-month-old baby, Abdullahi Azeez, in Osogbo, Osun State.
The baby was stolen by one of the suspects identified as 28-year-old Joy Esu, who had allegedly approached the baby’s mother in the disguise of wanting to learn tailoring.
Two days after she supposedly started the training for the trade, Esu absconded with the baby whose mother left in her care to buy some things at the market .
Esu who told newsmen that she doesn’t know if her boyfriend was using charms to manipulate her, reportedly gave the baby to her boyfriend, Sidney Onwuka, who then sold him to one Maxwell Agu that had claimed to be running a government registered orphanage at Orlu, Imo State.
Esu further told Punch’s correspondent that her boyfriend, had never given her any money despite stealing six children which he sold.
“He (Sidney) always sent me to do anything and I would go without hesitation. I even sold my daughter to him, but he didn’t give me ordinary N5″ she said.
Sidney Onwuka, who admitted to receiving 6 stolen babies from his girlfriend Esu, said he sold six babies including his own child to the operator who paid him N200,000 for his child.
The Rev. Father Father Chike, who is the parish priest at Our Lady of Fatima, Woliwo, Onitsha, Anambra State,was dragged into the incident, after one Elizabeth, a member of his parish contacted him for help in adopting a male child, adding that she had six grown up daughters but wanted to have a male child, because of the negative effect of not having a male child in Igbo culture
The cleric said he contacted the operator of the orphanage for the baby’s adoption
“He later brought the baby to our parish together with Joy (Esu). I called Elizabeth and she said she liked the baby boy. The woman handed N750,000 to me and and I gave it to Maxwell” he said.
Parading the suspects, the state Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Fimihan Adeoye, said the baby was drugged so he won’t cry out when taken away from Osun State.
