A 23-year-old Lady named Mary Olatayo was arrested by Ogun State Police Command men after she reportedly sold her three-week-old child for N600,000.
The suspect was arrested in response to a complaint made by the baby’s father, who informed the Mowe divisional headquarters that he had started dating Mary Olatayo after meeting her a while earlier. He informed the authorities that Mary became pregnant during this time, and he rented an apartment for her so she could reside there until she gave birth to a baby boy.
The distressed father further lamented Mary’s abrupt departure from the apartment with the child three weeks after delivery, only to find her in a hotel where she had gone to meet up with another man. He said that all attempts to locate the baby were unsuccessful.
According to SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, a spokeswoman for the state police command, who confirmed the occurrence, on the basis of the complainant’s allegation, the DPO for the Mowe division, SP Folake Afeniforo, dispatched detectives to the area, where the suspect was apprehended and taken to the station.
Oyeyemi claimed that during questioning Mary Olatayo revealed to the police that she had sold the infant for 600,000 naira to someone in Anambra state.
She admitted that her friend Chioma Esther Ogbonna had introduced her to the Anambra State buyer, and they had split the proceeds equally. Chioma Esther Ogbonna was arrested as a result of Mary’s confession, and she also supported Mary’s assertions.
Further investigation found that Mary Olatayo, a native of Omu-aran in Kwara state and a call girl, chose to get rid of the baby because she felt it was interfering with her ability to do business. Luckily for her, she has a partner in Chioma, an Imo native who immediately called the buyer in Anambra state.” Oyeyemi added.
According to the police spokeswoman, the state commissioner of police, CP Lanre Bankole, has commanded that all efforts must be made to locate the infant and that the suspects be transferred to the unit that combats child labor and human trafficking.