Four Arrested for Alleged Sale of Newborn Baby in Lagos

The Lagos State Police have arrested a doctor, a traditional birth attendant, and the parents of a newborn baby for allegedly selling the baby.

Reports say the 28-year-old mother and her boyfriend planned to sell their baby for N2.5 million. But they only received N700,000 from the buyer. This issue over payment led to the deal being exposed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the parents did not want to keep the baby. They looked for people to help them sell the child after birth. The couple was connected to a potential buyer in Ikorodu, Lagos State.

The woman first went to a traditional birth attendant to deliver the baby. But complications arose during labor, so she was moved to a private hospital in Ikorodu. There, a doctor performed a Caesarean section, successfully saving both the mother and the baby.

After delivery, the plans to sell the newborn were completed at the hospital. The baby was handed over to an unknown buyer for N2.5 million. The buyer is still missing.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, ordered the case to be moved from Area E Command in Festac to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further inquiry.

The Anti-Human Trafficking/Gender Unit of the SCID is looking into the allegations of conspiracy, child stealing, and trafficking. This investigation is under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police Dayo Akinbisehin.

A police source told NAN that attempts to find the buyer have not worked. The address and phone number given were found to be false.

"The information from the person who took the baby was not true. We could not trace the address, and the phone number was wrong.

"The mother had agreed to the deal at first. But things changed when she received only N700,000 from the N2.5 million they agreed on.

"She raised concerns about the unpaid balance. Some NGOs got involved and reported it to the police, which led to the investigation," the source added.

The 31-year-old doctor, the baby's parents, and the traditional birth attendant are now in police custody. They will face charges in court once the investigation is over.

The police are still working to catch the buyer and rescue the baby.