Posted on: 05:40 Tue, 06 Oct 2015



Jennifer Onyebuchi was arrested on September 30th for allegedly stealing a nine-month-old baby in the Ajegunle, Lagos and taking him to Okija, Anambra State.

It was gathered that Onyebuchi, who is from Anambra state, had befriended the baby’s mother, Aina Adetola, for about two weeks before she reportedly stole the infant.

An eye witness who identified himself as Uche
said:
“It was on Saturday, September 26. We
were all shocked that Jennifer (Onyebuchi)
escaped with the nine-month-old baby. She had met the victim’s mother for just two weeks before she carried out the act.

“They were both shop owners in the area.
On that day, Jennifer took the baby from
his mother when he was crying and said
she was going to buy him a bottle of soft
drink from a nearby shop.

“When the mother waited for them to
return, but did not see them, she raised the
alarm. The matter was thereafter reported
at the Ajegunle Police Division. Nobody
suspected that Jennifer had a devilish
motive. It turned out that the woman took
the baby to a bus station and travelled on
the same day to Okija, Anambra State.”

According to Punch Metro, after they realised what had happened, they reported the matter to police operatives from Lagos, who went after the suspect.

It was gathered that after four days of hiding, Onyebuchi was arrested in Okija, while the baby was also rescued by the police.

Adetola, who is the baby's mother said that her husband sent her packing from their house, when he discovered that she had given their baby to a stranger.

She said,
“I could not eat for four days. I thought I
was going to run mad. I wanted to kill
myself, but people continued to calm me
down. My husband was so angry that he
sent me out of his apartment, and I had to
be sleeping in my friend’s house. He said if I did not bring the baby back, I should not return to his apartment. I wept throughout that period.

“I first met Jennifer (Onyebuchi) at a filling
station around Boundary bus stop in Ajegunle. She would always assist me
when I wanted to buy petrol. She had a
shop in the area too. On that Saturday, she
had come to my shop when my baby was
crying. She carried him and said she was
going to buy a drink for him.

“That was my mistake. After hours of waiting for them, I rushed to Akinbo Street
at the house where I knew Jennifer stayed,
only to be told that she had travelled. I
was shocked. That was when I went to the
police to make a report.”

A police source in Ajegunle said when the
Police visited Jennifer’s rented apartment, her bf said the only person he knew who was related to the suspect was a spare parts dealer who brought her from the village.

He said:
“The police located the spare parts dealer,
who suggested that the woman might have travelled to her hometown in Okija,
Anambra State. So, the dealer and the
police went to Anambra, and they were on
her trail for two days.

“On Wednesday, she was arrested. She and the baby were brought back to Lagos on the eve of Nigeria’s Independence Day.
“Some of the residents of the area wanted
the police to release the suspect to them,
so they would mob her, but that did not
happen.”