A 40-year-old woman, Chinyere Okechukwu, has been arrested for allegedly stealing a five months’ old baby from Anambra State and selling the child for N900,000 to a couple in Lagos.

Okechukwu, said to be running a child trafficking syndicate, reportedly went to Anambra State with a young man, Chiano, to marry the 20-year-old mother of the child, Onyechukwu Okafor, early this month.

After paying N50,000 as the bride price of the single mother, the suspect also paid an extra N50,000 as money spent on hospital bill during the birth of the child. She had afterwards taken the mother to Lagos and sold the child to a couple, Happiness Ibebuilo (42) and Paul (41)

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, who paraded the suspect yesterday, said the case had been transferred to the Gender Unit of the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba, for a discreet investigation.

He said: “Onyechukwu Okafor, reported to the police at Satellite Division that her son, Chimuanya Okafor, five months old, was forcibly taken away from her by Chinyere Okechukwu (40) and sold him for N900,000 to Happiness Ibebuilo of Iyana-Iba, Lagos.

“Police then swung into action and moved to the house of Ibebuilo Paul (40) in whose custody the stolen child was recovered. The suspects were eventually arrested.”

Narrating her ordeal in the hands of the syndicate, Onyechukwu said she was hypnotised into marrying Chiano. Onyechukwu claimed she was introduced to the man and within three days her bride price was paid.

She said: “I was charmed. After I was separated from my child after the bride price was paid. I and Okechukwu were on our way to Lagos when I became conscious of myself. I asked for my child and was told he is with someone in Anambra and that he would join me soon.

“I also asked of my said husband and they told me he had been transferred at his place of work from Lagos to Abuja, and had to go ahead of us. When we got to Lagos, I was lodged in a hotel, at Abule-Ado.

That was when I suspected a foul play and had to call my cousin, Akubuko Obinna, who came to my rescue.” Asked about her role in the criminal act, Okechukwu simply said: “I did not do it. I was only arrested for what I know nothing of.”