A 33-year-old woman, Olaide Adekunle, sold her 18-month-old baby for N600,000 to offset her bank loan.
According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the woman reportedly left her house in Sango, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State for Lagos, where she sold the baby to an unidentified buyer.
The woman’s husband, Nureni Rasaq, reported her to the police after she returned from Lagos without their baby girl, Moridiat Rasaq, on March 15, 2023.
According to the husband, all his efforts to know the whereabouts of their daughter were unsuccessful, as his wife was unable to give any reasonable account.
Upon receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer in Sango, CSP Dahiru Saleh, dispatched his detectives to apprehend the suspect. Upon interrogation, she confessed to having sold the baby to someone in Lagos for N600,000.
When asked about the reason for her action, she stated that she borrowed money from a microfinance bank and was unable to repay the loan. Bank agents began harassing and threatening her, prompting her to flee to Lagos, where she began selling sachet water. While selling, she met a man who introduced her to the buyer of the child.
The acting Commissioner of Police, DCP Babakura Muhammed, directed that the suspect be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and the possible recovery of the baby.
