Two women suspected to be baby sellers have been arrested in Ejigbo area of Lagos with a baby boy for sale in their possession.
The baby is suspected to be a week old.
The two women are 50 years old Florence Nkem Douglas and 24 years old Gift Michael.
Upon interrogation, they confessed to having plans to sell the baby who was brought to Lagos from Gombe, enroute Akure for the sum of N500,000. 00.
The arrest and rescue was announced by the spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, DSP Bala Elkana, in a statement issued on Sunday.
He said the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Zubairu Muazu, had ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, to take over the investigation and ensure that other members of the syndicate be apprehended.
The investigation, he said, was still going on.
Below is the statement giving account of how the baby sellers were arrested and other details they gave.
On 26th August, 2019, at about 3.30 p.m. a police officer attached to the Motor traffic Division of Ejigbo Police Division while controlling traffic at Jakande Gate, Ejigbo, noticed a sort of commotion close to her traffic point.
She intervened and discovered that the brouhaha was about a lady named Gift Michael 24yrs old, found with a suspected new born baby. In her company is her ‘madam’, one Florence Nkem Douglas, aged 50 yrs, both of Ijegun area of Isheri. They were about to be mobbed due to the alarm raised by those who had been trailing the duo from their residence in Ijegun as the whole community had been suspecting them for long for being in the business of buying and selling of babies in their Maternity Clinic. But for the timely intervention of the traffic Police woman, the two women with the baby were rescued to Ejigbo Divisional Police Headquarters where in depth investigation was conducted.
Investigation revealed that the said Florence Douglas, a native of Igueben in Edo State, who is not a registered Nurse operates two Maternity Clinic named Flofidel Clinic and Maternity Homes with branches in Shosanya Street, I82, Ijegun Road and Okunola Ijagemo areas.
On interrogation, the said Florence admitted to have been in the business of sales of babies for a while.
She revealed that a baby girl is referred to as “PINK” while a baby boy is called “BLUE”; and are both referred to as “MARKET” .
She further confessed that the Male baby found in their custody at Jakande Gate, Ejigbo, suspected to be a week old was brought to her from Gombe, enroute Akure and was to be sold for N500,000.00.
The rescued baby who appeared sick with symptoms suspected to be jaundice was promptly taken to hospital for medical attention.
Worthy of mention are pictures of about 50 different babies in the phone of the suspect, suspected to have already been sold off.
Babies are usually sold between N500,000.00 and N1million depending on their sex.
The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Zubairu Muazu mni has ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti Yaba to take over the investigation and ensure that other members of the syndicate are apprehended. Investigation is ongoing.
