The Nasarawa State Police Command has apprehended a woman, Khadija Aliyu, on charges of stealing a seven-day-old baby girl during a naming ceremony in the Keffi area of the state.
According to The PUNCH, this arrest comes alongside the detention of an ex-convict, Hussaini Mohammed, accused of stealing motorcycles in the same vicinity.
In a statement released on Sunday by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Rahman Nansel, the incident occurred on Saturday evening, around 6:30 pm. Aliyu allegedly posed as a pregnant woman and infiltrated a house hosting the christening ceremony.
While the celebration continued, she discreetly entered the room where the baby had been laid to rest and abducted the infant.
Aliyu reportedly wrapped the baby on her back, covered her with a veil, and fled the scene unnoticed.
However, through swift efforts, police operatives from the Keffi Division were able to track her down and make an arrest.
Nansel detailed the arrest, stating, “At about 6:30 hrs, police operatives attached to the Keffi Division arrested one Khadija Aliyu for stealing a seven-day-old baby girl during a naming ceremony in Keffi. The suspect, who had been claiming to be pregnant, attended a naming ceremony at Behind INEC office, Keffi. While the event was ongoing, she sneaked into the house, stole the baby that was laid to sleep, carried the child on her back, covered her with a veil, and escaped before she was later arrested.”
In a separate incident, the police also detained Hussaini Mohammed for allegedly stealing motorcycles in Keffi. Mohammed, a recently released ex-convict, was arrested following investigations into reports of missing motorcycles in the area.
Nansel noted that three motorcycles, believed to have been stolen, were recovered during the investigation, adding that the police are continuing their inquiries.
“During the investigation, three motorcycles suspected to be stolen items were recovered from the suspect as exhibits,”* Nansel confirmed.
The Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu Nadada, has urged anyone with claims of stolen motorcycles to visit the Angwan Lambu Division in Keffi, bringing along proof of ownership to reclaim their property.
This recent development echoes a similar case in July 2023, where a 19-year-old woman from Ishehi Hamlet in Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State was arrested by the police for allegedly stealing a newborn baby.
The suspect, Hajara Usman, along with an accomplice, 18-year-old Ibrahim Usman of Dugurgama Hamlet, conspired to steal an infant from the Galawa Area of Akuyam District in Misau LGA.
Bauchi State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, had reported that the suspect was apprehended after a resident informed the Akuyam Police Outstation that his daughter’s newborn baby had been taken around 4:30 am.
