The Delta State Police Command has arrested a woman identified as Joy for allegedly abducting two infants in a desperate attempt to replace her deceased twin babies ahead of a planned child dedication ceremony.
The spokesperson for the command, Superintendent of Police Bright Edafe, disclosed the development in a video posted on his Facebook page, describing the case as one of the most shocking child abduction incidents recently handled by the police.
According to Edafe, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly kidnapped a four-month-old baby after pretending to be a customer at a groundnut-selling spot. She was said to have taken advantage of a brief distraction, deceived a 14-year-old caregiver entrusted with the child, and escaped with the infant.
Further investigations reportedly uncovered a second abduction linked to the suspect. Police said Joy allegedly befriended an 18-year-old mother under the guise of helping her secure employment as a househelp before making away with her baby during an outing.
Edafe stated that during interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to carrying out the abductions following the death of her biological twins.
According to the police spokesman, Joy claimed that the twins died at six weeks old while she was away from home. Faced with an upcoming child dedication ceremony and fearing the reaction of family members, friends and invited guests, she allegedly decided to replace the deceased children with abducted infants.
“Fearing the reaction of relatives and invited guests, she allegedly decided to abduct a boy and a girl to replace the deceased children,” Edafe disclosed.
Police investigations further revealed that the first child was allegedly abducted about three weeks before her arrest, while the second infant was taken a day before the planned dedication ceremony.
The command said both children were allegedly presented as her own and dedicated before law enforcement authorities uncovered the scheme and arrested the suspect.
The police have assured that investigations are ongoing, while efforts are being made to ensure the welfare of the rescued children and reunite them with their families.
