A 49-year-old woman from Ondo State, Joy Temitope, has been arrested and paraded by the Delta State Police Command for allegedly drugging and abducting a two-month-old baby from a 20-year-old mother in the Koko area of Delta State.
According to Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, the shocking incident occurred in February but the suspect was only recently tracked down and arrested—three months after the crime—through intelligence-led investigation. The infant, now five months old, was successfully recovered and reunited with his biological mother.
In a statement posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) page, Edafe explained that Temitope had met the young mother in a market under the guise of proposing a business deal. She convinced her to accompany her, during which she offered her a drink laced with sedatives. The unsuspecting woman fell asleep and woke up to find her baby missing.
“The suspect, Mrs. Joy Temitope, aged 49 years, lured and deceived a 20-year-old girl who had a two-month-old baby. She drugged the girl and stole her baby somewhere in Koko, Delta State,” Edafe said. “Acting on intelligence-driven policing, the suspect was arrested three months later, and the baby boy was rescued and reunited with his mother.”
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In a video confession, the victim narrated how she met Temitope at a market, where she promised a business opportunity. Temitope then invited her to visit a location she claimed was her store. While en route, she offered her a drink inside a vehicle. The drink made her drowsy, and she later woke up without her child.
Temitope, in her own confession, said she took the baby because she was feeling lonely. Her own children, she said, were grown and about to gain admission into university, leaving her emotionally isolated.
“I gave her the drink when we wanted to eat. I stole the child because my children are already grown. I just wanted someone to keep me company. I even told her we could be family friends,” Temitope admitted in the recorded video.
This incident echoes a similar case reported earlier this year when the Niger State Police Command rescued a six-month-old baby abducted by her cousin in Suleja and trafficked to Abuja for sale.
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