» Retired Pastor And Wife Accused Of Stealing A Baby «

Tuesday, paraded a 71-year-old man, said to be a
retired pastor, for allegedly stealing a year-old
baby.
The suspect was arrested alongside his wife by
the police, following an alarm said to have been
raised by the mother of the baby.
Abia State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joshak
Habila, who paraded the suspects, said the
arrests were part of the achievements of his
command for the month of August.
He said a month ago, a 21-year-old pregnant
mother reported that she lost her 11 months old
baby to a supposed friend under the pretence of
offering help to her.
The police boss said luck, however, ran out on
the supposed friend, when the anti- robbery
squad of the command intercepted him at
Owerrinta and arrested him for allegedly
trafficking pregnant girls to Port Harcourt, Rivers
State capital.
He said the arrest led to the discovery of a child,
who was previously stolen in Aba and allegedly
sold to the retired pastors’ wife, who was said to
have kept the deal away from her husband.
According to Habila, the suspect sold the baby for
N500,000 to the wife of a pastor who allegedly
lied to her husband that she went through the
normal process of adoption for the baby.
The wife of the pastor, the commissioner
explained, admitted to have paid for the baby in
the premises of Federal Medical Centre, FMC, in
Umuahia, through her friend, one Maria Mba, said
to a senior civil servant in Bende Local
Government Area.
But her pastor husband denied knowledge of the
illegal adoption of the baby, saying he had been
requesting from his wife the adoption documents
which he claimed he never saw till date.
The other suspects, Maria Mba and Ekwutosi, also
explained their role in the transaction, with
Ekwutosi saying he connected Maria to the illegal
deal.
He claimed that Mba approached him and
requested for baby girl which he arranged for
and procured, after which he invited them to the
FMC where the deal was finally sealed.
Though Mba said she collected the money and
gave to Ekwutosi N400,000 and kept N100,000
as part of her share of the deal, Ekwutosi denied
receiving the money from her.