Ademola Babalola in Ibadan
A fleeing 60-year-old woman, Asabi Adebayo, who allegedly purchased five babies in Rivers State for N1 million each has been arrested by the Oyo State police command.
The babies, according to the state police boss, Leye Oyebade, are (two males, and three females) whose ages range from two years, eight months, seven months, six months, and four months) respectively.
The suspect who had perfected plans to fly the babies abroad for sale, was said to have brought the babies to one orphanage home in Ibadan to obtain certified police report for each of the babies when the lid was blown open.
Oyebade who paraded the suspect and the five babies before journalists yesterday at the Eleyele state Police Headquarters, Ibadan, explained that the woman would have escaped with her evil plans if not for the patriotic behaviour of the officials of the orphanage who promptly reported the matter at the Iyaganku Police Station.
The suspect, Adebayo, who said she hailed from Lagos State is also a British citizen.
The babies have been taken to the state Ministry of Women Affairs, Child Welfare for custody, while the suspects was assisting the investigating police officers who were yet to ascertain the true source of the babies.
Also present at the Police Headquarters during the parade were members of various non-governmental organisations (NGO), officials of state Ministry of Women Affairs, and stakeholders in child welfare.
Though, the state police commissioner disclosed that police officers have accompanied the suspect to Port-Harcourt where she claimed to had bought the babies for N5million, they have not been able to apprehend those who sold the babies to the suspect.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) ,Iyaganku Police Station where the case was reported, one Ojopagogo later narrated how the suspect was arrested and exposed.
The DPO said: “A woman, who operates an orphanage home in Ibadan came to our station last Thursday and reported to us that one 60-year-old woman came to them that she has five children and that she needed police report for the children to be flown abroad . So, on the receipt of the information, our detectives led by one woman Superintendent of Police (SP) from the Juvenile Welfare Section went for the arrest of the suspect .
“So, when we got the suspect arrested , she told us that she got the children for N5million , that is a child for N1million and that she bought the children from one woman in Port-Harcourt. So, we travelled with the suspect to Port-Harcourt ,unfortunately the woman could not be seen”.
However, Oyebade, the state Police boss has vowed to ensure that the said woman in Port-Harcourt who allegedly sold the babies to the suspect was apprehended and made to face the wrath of the law.
Also paraded at the Police Headquarters were three young men, Ganiyu Taiwo, 29 a meat seller , Adam Adeleke 20, furniture maker, and Ayuba Jubril, 19, who confessed to breaking into girls hostel and made away with phones, laptops and other valuables on gun point, at Oke-Ogun Poly,Saki,Oyo state.
Others were two armed robbers Tunde Adeniyi 32, dealer in Aluminium doors , and Solomon Ajibesin 22 . They were arrested during the act at Ilorin.
Also, a bricklayer , Femi Adeyemi , father of three children, confessed to having robbed his boss of his Honda car with registration number Lagos F 0958 EKY and one Taiwo Samson, 36 who bought a stolen vehicle, Range Rover Jeep with registration number EFY 940 AA .
and was arrested.
Another middle aged man, Daramola Adewale, 34, a food stuff seller,was paraded for threatening to post the nudity of his girl which he video when they were having sex, on facebook and other social media if she failed to pay N50,000 to him.
