The Oyo State Police Command has rescued a one-month-old baby girl allegedly sold by her mother for N2m to a person identified as Folawewo in Ido Local Government Area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Saturday in Ibadan.
Ayanlade alleged that the owner of a health facility facilitated the sale of the baby girl after her mother delivered there.
The police spokesperson said a woman, Mary Amos, reported the incident to the police on Thursday at about 6pm.
According to him, the complainant alleged that her 23-year-old daughter gave birth to a baby girl on September 6 at Ebepraise Health Centre, Ido.
“She further reported that her daughter disappeared with the baby about seven days after delivery and could not provide a satisfactory account of the child’s whereabouts, raising suspicions that the baby might have been sold.
“Acting on the report, police operatives arrested the baby’s mother for questioning.
“She confessed during interrogation that the owner of the health facility and one Oludunni lured her into the arrangement and facilitated the sale of the baby to one Folawewo,” he said.
Ayanlade said investigations later revealed that the baby’s mother received N1m of the N2m, while the owner of the health facility and Oludunni allegedly received N500,000 each.
According to him, the baby girl has been rescued, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the alleged buyer and other persons involved in the incident.
He reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting children and other vulnerable persons.
He also urged members of the public to promptly report suspected cases of child trafficking and related offences.