The Niger State Police Command has rescued a six-month-old baby who was abducted by her cousin, Joy Nuwa, in Kwamba, Suleja.
The suspect allegedly planned to sell the baby in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The police said Nuwa, a 20-year-old from Nasarawa State, was asked to watch over the baby while the mother went to run an errand last Saturday. Instead, she conspired with some neighbors to kidnap the child and took her to Kubwa, Abuja, to sell her.
However, their plan failed after the mother reported the missing baby to the police. Following an investigation, officers rescued the child and returned her safely to the mother.
The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrest of four suspects linked to the crime.
“On 25th January 2025, at about 9am, police operatives attached to Maje Division arrested four suspects: Joy Nuwa (20) of Nasarawa, Favour James (25) of Kwamba, Ezekiel Emmanuel (30) of Kwamba, and Patience Obana (23) of Kubwa, Abuja,” Abiodun said in a statement on Friday.
He explained that the case was reported on 24th January after the baby’s mother returned home around 10pm and discovered both the baby and her cousin were missing. When she contacted Nuwa, the suspect falsely claimed she had left the baby in the house and locked the door.
During the investigation, police found no sign of a break-in, leading them to question the neighbors. Two of them, Emmanuel Ezekiel and Favour James, were arrested. Ezekiel later confessed that they had conspired with Nuwa to kidnap the baby and handed her over to Patience Obana in Abuja for sale.
“The said Joy, Favour, and Patience were later arrested through Emmanuel, and the baby was rescued unhurt. All suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna for further investigation and prosecution,” Abiodun added.
