I stole 2 babies to impress my lover- suspect

The suspect, Zainab Salisu; her lover,
Saheed Akinwale and the ‘twins.’

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.

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.

Vanguard