The Oyo State Police Command has rescued a one-month-old baby girl allegedly sold for ₦2m in the Ido Local Government Area of the state.
The police said the child’s 23-year-old mother allegedly conspired with the owner of a health facility and another individual to facilitate the sale.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan on Saturday.
According to Ayanlade, the case came to light on Thursday when Mary Amos reported the disappearance of her granddaughter to the police at about 6 pm.
He said the complainant alleged that her daughter delivered a baby girl on September 6 at Ebepraise Health Centre in Ido but disappeared with the child about a week later.
The woman reportedly became suspicious after her daughter failed to give a satisfactory explanation about the baby’s whereabouts.
“Acting on the report, police operatives arrested the baby’s mother for questioning,” Ayanlade said.
He added that the suspect allegedly confessed during interrogation that the health facility owner and another individual, identified as Oludunni, lured her into the arrangement and facilitated the sale of the infant to a person identified as Folawewo.
The police spokesperson said preliminary investigations indicated that the mother allegedly received ₦1m from the transaction, while the health facility owner and Oludunni reportedly received ₦500,000 each.
Ayanlade confirmed that the baby had been rescued, adding that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the alleged buyer and other persons suspected of involvement in the incident.
He reiterated the command’s commitment to safeguarding children and other vulnerable members of society.
The police also urged members of the public to promptly report suspected cases of child trafficking and other offences involving the exploitation of minors.
