The girl was, on January 28, kidnapped in Alagbado area of Lagos State and sold to three different buyers at prices ranging from N500,000 to N600,000.
The main suspect who masterminded the abduction, Grace John, however, claimed that she had only helped the father of the abducted girl.
Grace, who was, on Tuesday, paraded alongside two other collaborators in the abduction, Rita Eze and Ugochi Nweke, claimed to have only taken the girl to her grandmother in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Grace narrated that she was contacted by a certain Samuel, who approached her to help retrieve the baby from his ex-girlfriend.
The main suspect also said that Samuel had claimed that he wanted to retrieve the baby in order to take proper care of her.
“Samuel told me the woman was his former girl- friend who went on to marry another man, and he wanted to take his child from her for proper care.
“Samuel took me to the woman’s shop in Alagbado area where I pretended I wanted to learn bead making from her, and we agreed on the modalities.
Grace added that “after seven days, I told the woman I was going to buy some snacks and I took the girl with me to Kola bus stop, where I met Samuel, who instructed me to take her to his grandmother in Onitsha because he was in school.
“The following day, I boarded a bus to Onitsha, where I met the woman, Rita Eze, and I handed over the child to her, and she gave me N60,000 for transport.
“I never knew the child was not Samuel’s, and I never thought what I did was kidnapping; I just wanted to help a man who cried to me that his child was not being properly taken care of; I have not done this before, “Grace said.
The first recipient of the baby, Rita Eze, said: “I met my old friend at an event in December and she told me her nephew had a child and that they needed someone to take proper care of her.
“She gave Samuel my number and he called to say his girlfriend would bring a child from Lagos, and when Grace brought the girl, Samuel told me to sell her, and I handed her (the child) over to Ugochi.
“Ugochi gave me N500,000, from which I gave Grace N60,000, I took N40,000 and sent the remaining to Samuel.
I never knew him before; I thought the child was his. I didn’t know the child was kidnapped; I only accepted to help sell the child because I needed money to pay my house rent.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, while speaking to journalists during the parade, said that the suspects would be arraigned in court upon completion of investigations.
The police boss also warned parents and guardians to be very cautious when employing housemaids and apprentices.
Source:Tribune
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