Ogun woman sells 18-month-old baby to repay loan

A 33-year-old woman, Olaide Adekunle, has reportedly sold her 18-month-old baby for N600,000 to offset her bank loan.

The suspect, who lives in Sango in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State reportedly left her house for Lagos where she sold the baby to a yet-to-be-identified buyer.

The suspect was arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command following a complaint lodged at Sango Divisional Headquarters by her husband, Nureni Rasaq.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

The PPRO added that the husband reported that his wife left home for Lagos on March 15, 2023, with their baby girl, Moridiat, but returned home without the baby.

According to Oyeyemi, the husband added that all efforts to know what happened to the baby proved abortive as the woman was unable to give any reasonable account of the baby’s whereabouts.

He said, “Upon the report, the DPO Sango Division, CSP Dahiru Saleh, detailed his detectives to go after the woman and she was promptly arrested.

“On interrogation, the suspect confessed that she has sold the baby to someone in Lagos at the rate of N600,000.

“When asked the reason for her action, she stated that she borrowed money from a microfinance bank, and when she was unable to pay back the money, the bank agents started dragging her and threatening to deal decisively with her.

“It was consequent upon this that she ran to Lagos and started hawking sachet water.

“It was while hawking that she met a man who introduced her to the woman that eventually bought the child in Lagos.”

The police spokesperson said the acting Commissioner of Police, DCP Babakura Muhammed, has directed that the suspect be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and possible recovery of the baby.