The Niger State Police Command has successfully rescued a six-month-old baby who was abducted by her cousin and intended for sale in the Federal Capital Territory.
The abduction took place in the Kwamba area of Suleja last Saturday when Joy Nuwa, the cousin from Nassarawa State, was entrusted with looking after the baby while the mother went out. However, Nuwa allegedly conspired with several neighbors to abduct the baby and transported her to Kubwa in Abuja for sale.
The situation changed when the mother reported the missing child to the police. After conducting an investigation, officers located and rescued the baby, returning her unharmed to her mother.
In a statement released on Friday, police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the arrests. “On January 25, 2025, at about 9 a.m., police operatives from the Maje Division arrested four suspects: Joy Nuwa (20) of Nassarawa, Favour James (25) of Kwamba, Ezekiel Emmanuel (30) of Kwamba, and Patience Obana (23) of Kubwa, Abuja.”
The investigation began on January 24, 2025, after the mother of the baby reported her disappearance. She had left the child in the care of Joy Nuwa, but upon returning, discovered both Nuwa and the baby were missing. Nuwa initially claimed to have left the baby in the house and locked the door, but further investigation revealed no sign of forced entry, leading to the arrest of neighbors Emmanuel Ezekiel and Favour James.
Emmanuel confessed to conspiring with Nuwa to sell the baby and taking her to Patience Obana in Kubwa. Following this, Nuwa, James, and Obana were arrested, and the baby was safely recovered.
All suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Minna for further investigation and prosecution.