Man arrested for stealing 7-month-old baby

isaac dachen

March 21, 2016 2:40 PM

A man who kidnapped a baby has been arrested by the police in Lagos.

The suspect, Happiness Umaru, and the baby

It was the end of the road for a

Umaru, 26, was nabbed by policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), of the Lagos State Police Command on March 16, at Eric Moore in Surulere area of the state.

Read: "Crucify Him: 21-yr-old man kidnaps 2-yr-old baby in Kogi"

During interrogation, Umaru allegedly told the officers that he was the baby's biological father but later changed to say he found the baby around Ijora Railway, when he went into a bush to answer the call of nature.

After the case was transferred to the Gender Department of the command for further investigation, officers from the unit visited the scene of the incident, where they located the biological mother of the baby who was still at a loss on how her baby had disappeared.

Read: "Criminal Mind: Man arrested for kidnapping neighbour’s son

According to the distraught mother, Patricia Victor, she had put her daughter to bed in her room at about 8pm and had gone out to buy food when she came back to discover the baby missing.

“I laid my seven months old baby () on the bed inside my house at about 8p.m., to buy food for my son.

By the time I returned with the food for my older son, my baby had disappeared. I raised alarm and neighbours joined me in the search all thorough the night, but we did not find him.

I did not know that police officers had arrested the man who stole my baby. Luckily, when they came the next day to investigate the case, they located me.”

The baby has been released to the mother, while the suspect has been charged to court.

isaac dachen