LAGOS—42-year-old
Zainab Salisu, who stole two children, told newsmen, yesterday, at Lagos State
Police Command, Ikeja, that she needed the babies because she had a
miscarriage, but needed to show her lover evidence of the pregnancy she claimed
was
his.
The suspect, Zainab Salisu; her lover, Saheed Akinwale and the ‘twins.’The
suspect, Zainab Salisu; her lover, Saheed Akinwale and the ‘twins.’ However,
Zainab’s lover, Saheed Akinwale, a father of three, said he only met her last
year, adding “few months after we started dating, she said she was pregnant for
me and wanted to travel to the United States to deliver the children.
“I
assisted her with N250,000. While she was outside the country, she kept calling
me with a private number. I never suspected that she was in Nigeria, or that
she never had a child. “Three weeks ago, she called that she was back in the
country and I went to her place to see the twins she claimed were mine. I am
innocent. I know nothing about this crime.”
Her confessions On how she stole
the babies, Zainab said: “I stole Feyitola because I had miscarriage and I did
not want my lover, Saheed Akinwale, who gave me N250,000 to process my
travelling documents to the United States, where I told him I was going to
deliver the baby, to find out the truth.” On the second child, she said: “I did
not steal Philip.
His mother died four months after his birth and his father,
who is my uncle, asked me to take care of him. It was after I stole Feyitola
that I told Akinwale that I had come back to the country with the twins.” The
two infants, one-year-old Feyitola Lawal, and Taye (not real name) had been
rescued by operatives of the Lagos State Criminal Investigations and
Intelligence Department, SCIID, Yaba, Lagos.
Vanguard gathered that Feyitola
Lawal was abducted on May 16 by Zainab Salisu, who reportedly introduced herself
to the baby’s grandmother as the owner of a poultry farm, who would love to
supply them eggs. It was gathered that Zainab, who claimed she was new in the
area, Abule-Ijoko, became friendly with the Lawals and abducted their child
after gaining their trust. Zainab, who said she needed to buy souvenirs for her
children’s birthday, disappeared at Agege Bus Stop with Feyitola, whose mother
had accompanied her.
The case was then reported to all the police divisions at
Area G, Ogba, and later transferred to SCIID, Yaba, Panti, for further
investigation. Seventeen days later, Zainab was tracked down through her phone
and arrested with another eight-month-old baby boy simply called Taye. Baby’s
mother tells her story Mother of the toddler, Lawal Damilola, 25, who claimed
she met Zainab at her mother-in-law’s shop, where she claimed to be new to the
area and needed a Church where she would be worshipping. She said: “My mother
in-law directed her to our Church and on Sunday, she came to worship.
She came
back to the shop two days later.
“This time, she said her children wanted to
celebrate their birthday and that she was to buy souvenirs, pleading that I
should accompany her. I carried my baby and we went to Justrite Supermarket.
“She said she did not find any souvenir that she liked. Later, she offered to
help me carry Feyitola and then disappeared with my baby.
” Parading the
suspects, the command spokesperson, SP Dolapo Badmus, said that the police
swung into action immediately the case of child abduction was reported at the
Divisions in Area G, Ogba, and the SCIID, Yaba. Badmus said the investigation
paid off as the suspect and one Saheed Akinwale were arrested, with another
stolen child recovered from them.
