Police parade woman for allegedly kidnapping two babies

 

                        Salisu, Akinwale and one of the babies

he police yesterday paraded a woman, Zainab Salisu, for allegedly kidnapping a one year old baby, Fehintola Lawal, on May 16 at Abule Egba in lagos. She had since renamed the baby Kehinde Salisu.

Salisu was paraded at the police Command Headquarters at Ikeja GRA by its spokesperson Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP).

Salisu, 42, was also found with a seven-month-old boy, Phillip, who has been renamed Taiwo when she was arrested on Wednesday in Idimu, Lagos.

Salisu allegedly kidnapped Fehintola under the guise of helping the baby’s mother, Mrs Damilola Lawal, to back her.

Salisu was said to have lied to her lover, Saheed Akinwale that she was pregnant and collected N250,000 from him to deliver the twins she was expecting in the United States (US).

She allegedly kidnapped Fehintola and Philip and passed them off as twins to Akinwale and her friends who did not know that one of the babies was three months older than the other.

On Wednesday, the police tracked her down with the aid of the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) camera at the Justrite Supermarket in Abule Egba where she and Mrs Lawal shopped on May 16.

She was arrested after the police set a trap for her through her lover, a married man, who was invited to the Area G Police Command in Ogba.

At the police command in Ikeja GRA yesterday, Salisu denied kidnapping Fehintola and Phillip, saying: “I did not steal the baby. Fehintola’s mother is my friend. I went to their house on May 14 and when she left to get something, I carried her baby and left.

“Since I switched off that sim card, they could not reach me. The other baby belongs to my uncle. The wife died and he wanted to give away the baby and I told him to give him to me so that I can raise him as my own.

“I was in need of children. I had lied to Saheed that I was five months pregnant and going to the US to be delivered of twins. He gave me money and took me to the airport. Unknown to him, I left the airport and returned to my house in Sango.

“We do not leave together. He stays in Matogun. It is far from Sango. That was why he believed I travelled. I used to call him on phone with a private number and I told him I have given birth to twins and that I was coming back.

“That was why I collected the baby and went and showed him the two of them. He did not know anything about it until Wednesday when I followed him to the police station at Ogba. He called and told me that police called him to say there was problem with one of his clients. He is a mechanic. And so, he wanted me to go with him and I agreed. But when we got to the station, I knew few minutes later that I was the one they were looking for and not him.”

Akinwale said he knew nothing about the matter stating “I have known her for over one year. She told me that she was five months pregnant for me and that she wanted to travel to the United States to give birth. I gave her N250,000 and followed her to the airport.”

“Sometime in October, she called me that she was back and that she has given birth to a set of twins for me. She told me she landed in Abuja and that she would bring them to Lagos to see me.

“Although I am married with three kids, I kept Zainab as my other family. I never knew they were not our kids until the police arrested us on Wednesday.

“I really do not know why she did it. I never pressured her about children because I have three children already. I was not even calling her, she was the only one who usually called and it was always with a private number. I am still in shock,” he said.

Thanking the police for rescuing her daughter, Mrs Lawal said she and Salisu were not friends.

She said: “I don’t know her from anywhere, rather she came to my shop in April claiming to be a supplier of eggs and would love to supply us with some. I agreed later, she claimed she was new in the area and needed a new place of worship and my mother-in-law took her to our church (Christ Apostolic Church after service she followed us home to use the convenience. She later stayed for lunch and then she said she wanted to buy some souvenirs.

“I took her to Justrite Stores at Agege but she ended up not buying. When we were leaving, she offered to assist in carrying my daughter. We boarded a bus and got to Abule Egba. We took a bike and when we got to our bus stop, her bike carried her further down. By the time I walked down to that place she had disappeared.”

Badmos said the police were working on getting Phillip’s parents, adding that the suspects were arrested through intelligence-driven investigation.

“On May 16, Fehintola Lawal, a 12-month-old baby, was stolen from the mother at Abule Egba. The journey for the arrest started from Itoikin in Ogun State. Zainab Salisu pretended to be a buyer and trickishly sent the woman to Justrite and she bolted with her baby the case was reported to all the divisions in Abule Egba and she was tracked down and the baby was recovered from her custody.

“Also seen in her custody was a seven months old baby (Philip) she could not give account of, which the command reasonably suspects was stolen.

“Parents should be wary of all friends that can’t be traced because most of them come under the criminal disguise of friendships.”