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DELTA, Nigeria - The police in Delta reported the arrest of a suspect named Joy Temitope for the abduction of a two-month-old baby.
Temitope allegedly drugged the infant's mother before taking the child on February 16, 2025.
According to a spokesperson for the police command, Bright Edafe, the 49-year-old suspect fled with the baby after the 20-year-old mother was incapacitated by the drug.
Edafe stated, “The suspect, Mrs. Joy Temitope, aged 49 years, tricked and manipulated a 20-year-old mother who had a two-month-old baby.
She drugged the mother and stole her baby in Koko, Delta State. Thanks to intelligence-led policing, the suspect was apprehended three months later, and the baby boy, now five months old, was saved and reunited with his mother.”
In an accompanying video, Edafe explained that the suspect, who pretended to be a friend, deceived the mother into believing they were heading to Koko market before offering her the drugged beverage.
“Unaware of the drugged drink, she consumed it, which led to her falling asleep and losing consciousness, allowing the suspect to take the baby,” stated Edafe.
During police questioning, the child's mother recounted how the suspect had inquired about her residence, and after traveling to Warri, gave her a Five Alive drink in a vehicle, making her feel sleepy.
The suspect was ultimately arrested in Ughelli on April 29, 2025.
The police noted that the suspect confessed to the crime, stating, “My children are already grown, expecting to enter university soon, and I don’t have any child with me anymore.”
