A housewife resident in Iwo, Osun State, Ganiyat Abbass, and her husband, Olatunbosun, have been arrested by the police for allegedly stealing a six-day-old baby.

The couple was paraded on Friday by the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Wale Olokode.

Also paraded were two suspected fraudsters, identified as Olaolu James and Favour Ige; as well as four suspected armed robbers –  Agbebaku David, Olubunmi Adewale, Oderinde Oluwaseun, and Oluwaseun Adejuyigbe.

Giving details of the crimes committed by the suspects, the Osun police boss said the Abbass were reported to have on Thursday, March 24 stolen a six-day-old baby girl from its lactating mother, Jemilat Musa.

Ganiyat was alleged to have tricked the mother, said to be having a medical challenge, with some wraps of cornmeal and N200 for bean cake.

“Shortly after the baby’s mother left to buy the bean cake, the suspect quickly put the baby inside a sack and ran away. The suspects were arrested in the early hours of Friday, March 25, 2022, in collaboration with the civilian JTF,” Olokode said.

Responding to questions from Saturday PUNCH, Ganiyat, who said she had yet to have her own baby, explained that she did not intend to steal the baby.

Speaking in Yoruba language, Ganiyat said, “I live in the same house with the mother of the baby. On Thursday, I bought cornmeal for her and she requested for bean pod. I gave her N200 to buy it. Immediately she left, the baby started crying and I tried all tricks to make her stop crying but the baby did not stop crying.

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“So, I decided to take the baby and walked to my fiancé’s house in the Agbowo area of Iwo around 8pm. I lost my way while going and upon inquiring for direction from some people, I was accosted and alleged of stealing the baby. My husband was also arrested.”

The police boss said all the suspects would be taken to court after an investigation into their various crimes had been concluded.