A shocking case of child abduction has emerged in Delta State following the arrest of a woman who allegedly stole two babies from separate families to replace her deceased twins, ahead of a planned child dedication ceremony.
Key Highlights:
- A woman in Delta State was arrested for allegedly abducting two babies.
- She reportedly stole the children to replace her twins who had died.
- The babies were presented at a planned child dedication ceremony.
- Police tracked and arrested the suspect in Uzere.
- Both babies were rescued and reunited with their mothers.
The suspect, identified as Joy, was arrested by police officers of the Delta State Police Command after investigations linked her to the disappearance of two infants in different parts of the state.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Edafe Bright, disclosed that the woman confessed during interrogation that her twins died at six weeks old while she was away from home.
According to her, preparations for their dedication had already been concluded and invitations sent to family members, friends and well-wishers by her husband.
Fearing embarrassment and possible backlash from guests expected at the ceremony, she allegedly resorted to abducting two babies, a boy and a girl, to replace her dead children.
Investigations revealed that the first baby, a four-month-old infant, was stolen after the suspect allegedly deceived a 14-year-old caregiver at a groundnut-selling point.
Pretending to be a customer, she reportedly gained the teenager’s trust before fleeing with the child.
In a separate incident, Joy allegedly befriended a young mother and later disappeared with her baby during an outing.
Police sources disclosed that the suspect abducted the first child about three weeks before the dedication ceremony and stole the second baby barely a day before the event.
The two children were reportedly presented during the dedication before security operatives tracked down and arrested the suspect.
The arrest was made on June 8, 2026, in Uzere community, Isoko South Local Government Area, following intelligence-led operations by detectives attached to the Ughelli Area Command.
A security source said the breakthrough came after weeks of surveillance and investigation into an earlier reported case of child stealing.
“The suspect was successfully tracked to Uzere where she was arrested. During the operation, two babies believed to have been stolen from different mothers were rescued,” the source said.
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The source added that preliminary investigations were ongoing to determine the full circumstances surrounding the abductions and establish whether the suspect was acting alone or as part of a wider child trafficking network operating within and outside Delta State.
Following her arrest, both rescued babies were reunited with their biological mothers, while the suspect remains in police custody undergoing further interrogation.
The case is expected to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for detailed investigation and possible prosecution.
The development has been described as a major breakthrough in the fight against child trafficking and related crimes in Delta State.
Meanwhile, the police have urged parents and guardians to remain vigilant and avoid entrusting their children to strangers, stressing the need for prompt reporting of suspicious movements involving children.
Residents of the affected communities have commended the police for the successful rescue operation and called for intensified efforts to dismantle criminal networks involved in child theft, trafficking and illegal adoption activities.
Police authorities assured the public that additional details would be released as investigations progress.
