The Edo State Police Command has exhumed the remains of a preterm baby and arrested the child’s mother, Princess Oke, for allegedly making a false report about the disappearance of her newborn.
The development followed a directive by the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, now Assistant Inspector General (AIG), ordering a thorough investigation into the case after the mother claimed her baby had been stolen shortly after delivery.
INFO DAILY had earlier reported that a 46-year-old man identified as Osazee Okumgbowa, who allegedly posed as a medical doctor, was arrested and paraded on July 3 after Oke accused him of helping her deliver the baby before the child allegedly disappeared.
In her initial statement to the police, Oke said she regained consciousness after the delivery and found only the placenta. She said she was later informed that the baby had died, but rejected the explanation, insisting the child was alive and demanding that the suspects produce her baby.
Her complaint led to the arrest of Okumgbowa, along with a nurse, Dorcas Falade, 36, of Grace Health Maternity Healthcare along Upper Sokponba Road in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, and another suspect, Godwin Atekha, 49, over their alleged involvement in what was initially suspected to be a baby trafficking case.
However, fresh findings by detectives from the Edo State Police Command have taken the investigation in a different direction.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Ebi Ikoedem, disclosed that detectives traced and exhumed the baby’s grave, a discovery that contradicted the mother’s initial claim that the newborn had been stolen.
According to the police spokesperson, preliminary investigations suggest the incident may have stemmed from an alleged attempt to terminate the pregnancy rather than the theft of a newborn.
Ikoedem further alleged that Oke visited the health facility to terminate the pregnancy against her mother’s advice and did not inform her family about her visit on the day of the incident.
Based on the latest findings, the police arrested Oke for allegedly making a false report.
The spokesperson added that the case has been transferred to the Anti-Violent Crimes Unit, which has been directed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the baby’s death and burial, and determine whether any offences, including child trafficking or other related crimes, were committed.
