A Federal High Court in Sokoto has remanded one Mrs Foluke Okuneye Adetoun, a 50-year-old deputy director with NIPOST, Kaduna, for allegedly buying a baby stolen from Sokoto.
Also remanded with her is a 35-year-old final year student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Mrs Sharon Kachollom Shuwang, who was the alleged seller of the baby.
The deputy director was said to have bought the baby from Shuwang at the cost of N250,000.
It was said that the baby belonged to a woman widowed by bandits in Goronyo Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking on the arrest of the accused, the spokesperson of the NAPTIP in Sokoto, Hassana Mika’ilu, said the mother of the baby lost her husband during an attack on their community by bandits.
She said that forced her to move to the state capital where she was begging for alms and was also pregnant at the time.
“Mrs Shuwang first met her while begging for alms at the Shehu Shagari Central Market and because of her condition, she decided to employ her as a house maid.
“Just a day after engaging her, the woman delivered a baby girl and few days after her delivery, she fell sick and Mrs Shuwang, gave her money to go to the hospital for treatment.
“She asked her to leave the baby with her which she did and when she came back from the hospital, she could not find her and the baby.’’
Hassana said the woman later found her madam at the military hospital without the baby and when she enquired about her baby’s whereabouts, she told her that the baby was seriously sick and was currently receiving medication at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.
“The woman then asked to be taken to the hospital and that was how they started quarrelling until the staff of the military hospital intervened and took them to a police station from where they were referred to NAPTIP, Sokoto Zonal Command.
The spokesperson said during investigation, it was discovered that the baby had been sold to the deputy director in NIPOST, Kaduna office at the cost of N250,000.
“Our men then went to Kaduna, arrested the deputy director and recovered the baby and reunited her with the mum,’’ she said.
When the one-count charge of suspected sale of baby was read to the suspects, they all pleaded not guilty, as a result of which, the presiding judge, Justice Saleh Idrissa Kogo, ordered them to be remanded at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
He adjourned the case to Thursday, December, 3, 2020.
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