Edith CHUKU
On Thursday, the Enugu State Magistrate Court convicted and sentenced 23-year-old Rejoice Odoh to three years imprisonment for conspiracy and another three years for allegedly stealing a four months old baby.
Odoh was arrested on October 24 and charged to court by the Enugu State Police command, for allegedly posing as a customer to the child’s mother who sells in the market.
She supposedly took the child under the guise of helping to carry him but absconded with him and switched off her phone.
The Enugu Magistrate Court sentenced her to two concurrent three-year prison terms over the incident that happened at Oye-Emene Market, Enugu.
According to the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Daniel Ndukwe, the incident happened at about 9am on October 20, 2026.
Ndukwe noted that investigation revealed that “the suspect previously posed as a customer to the child’s mother, took the baby under the guise of helping to carry him while going to buy an item from a nearby shop, but absconded with him.
“She later switched off her phone and conspired with her younger sister, who is currently at large, to present the baby to their family members at Ubahu, Nkanu East LGA, as her own child.
“Acting on the report and technical intelligence gathered, detectives of the command’s State Intelligence Department, working with personnel of Amechi-Idodo Police Division and members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, arrested the suspect and recovered the baby at Idume, Amankanu, Nkanu East LGA, on 24th October 2026, at about 10:30 p.m.
“The child was subsequently reunited with his parents. Upon conclusion of the investigation, the suspect was arraigned before the Enugu Magistrate Court and prosecuted by a police prosecutor from the Legal Section.
“Having pleaded guilty, she was convicted on 29th October 2026, and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and another three years for child stealing, with both sentences to run concurrently.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the police personnel, members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, and the prosecuting team for their roles in the suspect’s arrest.
The CP also hailed them for recovering the child, and securing of the conviction. He also appreciated the court for the expeditious dispensation of justice and urged parents and guardians to remain vigilant, prioritise their children’s safety, avoid leaving them in the care of untrusted persons, and promptly report missing-child incidents to the police.
