A magistrate court in Enugu has sentenced a 23-year-old woman, Rejoice Odoh, to two concurrent three-year prison terms for conspiracy and child stealing, following an investigation by the Enugu State Police Command.
Odoh was convicted for stealing a four-month-old baby boy at Oye-Emene Market, Emene, Enugu, on October 20, 2026, at about 9:00 a.m.
Police investigators said the suspect had earlier posed as a customer to the child’s mother. She then offered to carry the baby while going to buy an item from a nearby shop, but absconded with him.
She later switched off her phone and, with her younger sister, who is still at large, planned to present the baby to relatives at Ubahu in Nkanu East Local Government Area as her own child.
Acting on a report and technical intelligence, detectives from the Command’s State Intelligence Department worked with personnel of the Amechi-Idodo Police Division and members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group. They arrested Odoh and recovered the baby at Idume, Amankanu, Nkanu East LGA, on October 24, 2026, at about 10:30 p.m. The child was reunited with his parents.
After the investigation, Odoh was arraigned before the Enugu Magistrate Court and prosecuted by a police prosecutor from the Legal Section. She pleaded guilty and was convicted on October 29, 2026. The court sentenced her to three years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and another three years for child stealing, with both terms to run concurrently.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the police personnel, Neighbourhood Watch members and the prosecution team for their roles in the arrest, the recovery of the child and the conviction. He also thanked the court for delivering justice speedily.
The Commissioner urged parents and guardians to remain vigilant, prioritise their children’s safety and avoid leaving them in the care of people they do not trust. He also asked the public to report missing-child incidents to the police promptly.
