A 41-days-old baby, Michael Okon, has been abducted by a woman at Ogunrun road, in the Mowe area of Ogun State. The baby who was to be dedicated in the church on Sunday, November 10, was abducted six days to the event.

It was gathered that the baby’s mother had gone to braid her hair at her friend’s shop in the community when the baby was crying and the mother decided to give it to the suspect, an elderly woman, who later disappeared with the baby.

The suspect, our correspondent also gathered claimed she was going to a pharmacy by the roadside to get drug after strapping the baby to her back, but escaped with the baby into thin air.

All efforts to locate the suspect in the community with the help of other residents proved abortive, as she was nowhere to be found with the baby in the community.

The distraught mother, Ayowunmi Okon, said on the fateful day, the suspect came to the junction of their street where she was discussing with a woman and she greeted her and the person.

When she finish discussing with the woman that came to check on her, she went back inside their house to check on her son who was crying as a result of pain on his ulblica cord, but she tried calling her husband to buy him some drugs.

“In the process of crying, my son and I slept off, when I woke up, I bath him and went to braid my hair in preparation for his 41 days dedication in the church that was supposed to take place on November 10.”

She added: “When I was about to leave the house to braid my hair, my baby was still sleeping. when he woke up, one of his father’s brothers came to call me and I went back to Bosom feed him, after Bosom feeding him, I placed him on his grandmother’s leg, but his grandmother brought him to me that instead of me coming home to take care of him intermittently, I should go with him.

“That was why I brought him outside to where I was braiding my hair, he would have been inside with his grandmother. Where I was fixing my hair was a stone’s throw to the house.

That was why I decided not to take him there in the first, so that I will be shuttling in-between. “The woman came back and started discussing with the lady fixing my hair that it was her husband that called her, that was why she left earlier.

My son who was sleeping on the mat where I placed him woke up when one of my husband’s sister was going to the market and I begged her that whenever she’s returning from the market she should help take Michael back inside, because of his cry.

“Immediately my husband’s sister came back from the market, I told her to take my son home, she declined and said she cannot take him, because she was going home to cook. The woman was with us when all these was going on. But she never uttered a word.”

“As I was braiding my hair, the hair from the comb fell into the mouth of my son twice and I complained of the hair in his mouth, the woman then said I should bring him so that she could help me carry him pending when I will complete the braiding, because we were all sitting together at the salon, I gave her my son without suspecting her.”

She added that while the woman was playing with her baby, he slept off on her thighs. “Before I knew what was happening, the woman removed my son from her thighs and placed him on her back, yet I still didn’t suspect her.

Few minutes later she said she wanted to buy something at a pharmacy on the road. I told her that if she was going to the market she should not go with my son, she then said she was not going to the market but just wanted to get something by the roadside.

“Immediately she left, the lady fixing my hair and three others told me to follow her, that they don’t know her. It was one of the ladies who told me that the woman claimed she came to search for accommodation in the community not that they know her.

I stood up from where I was sitting immediately and ran after her and I saw her from afar going into a pharmacy on the roadside, probably to get something. “As I was running after her, I don’t know what happened to me, I went back, but suddenly regained my consciousness again and I continued chasing her.

Unfortunately, when I got to the pharmacy she had left the place, I then asked the workers in the pharmacy if they saw a woman with a baby walking in.

“The workers in the pharmacy confirmed to me that they saw her with the baby, but that she rushed out again. I also ran after her into the market with the hope that I will get her. Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate her in the market, she had disappeared into thin air.

That was when I started shouting and calling for help that my son has been stolen. “I am too young to be facing such challenge at my tender age, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun and the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State should help rescue and bring my son back to me.

This is my first child. Other security agencies in the state should help me find my son and arrest her.”

“When I got to Mowe Divisional Police Station to report my missing son, as I was about complaining to the police my husband walked into the station, two policemen were ordered to follow us to get the CCTV footage of the woman in the pharmacy where she claimed she wanted to buy something.

“We were able to extract the CCTV foot age from the pharmacy and took it to the police station. Police promised to investigate the matter and get the woman arrested and prosecute her for the crime.”

Meanwhile, the father of the missing baby, Mr. Daniel Okon, told our correspondent that he was not around when the incident occurred, but described it as an unfortunate one.

He said when he came back from work around 8:45pm he saw a crowd in front of their house discussing in low tunes when they saw him coming towards the crowd.

“When I eventually moved closer to the crowd I suspected that something was wrong. I immediately went inside, when my elder sister heard my voice she rushed out to meet me at the entrance and asked was it true that Michael was missing.

And I told her that I was just returning from work that I don’t know anything about the missing baby. “Angrily I told my sister that she knew I was just coming from work and nobody called me on phone to tell me what happened.

It was during my findings that I was told that it was where she went to braid her hair that a woman went away with my son. And I started searching everywhere for my wife in the community.

“I was eager to see her to tell me what happened, I was outside looking for my wife till 4am on Tuesday November 5. In the morning when I went to the police station to report the matter, surprisingly that was where I met my wife, at the police station.

Unfortunately, we were supposed to dedicate my son at the church on Sunday November 10, that was why she went to braid her hair at a friend’s place.

“Out of annoyance, one of the policemen ordered that her friends who were with her when my son was stolen should be arrested. When my wife’s friends where brought to the station they denied knowing the woman who stole the baby.

“It’s regrettable that my son was stolen. Those my wife’s friends arrested claim they told her that she should take her son from the suspect that they don’t know her before now, that she only came to fix her hair.

I want to appeal to the police and other security agencies to rescue my son and arrest the suspect. “I am always seeing my baby, it is unfortunate that the baby was stolen in that manner. I have always warned my wife to be careful with the people she’s relates with.

I warned her a week before the incident to know those she relates with in the community, now it has happened. I want my son back, Ogun State Commissioner of Police and the local vigilante should help me locate my son.”

A source who spoke with our correspondent said that the woman who abducted the baby was beaten somewhere before in Mowe.

It was gathered that the woman was almost lynched at Ofada area of the community, where she went to steal a baby girl, but was later released by the police where she was detained.

“The issue of stealing of baby is on the increase in Mowe and it’s environ. Three years ago, three babies were stolen in same compound along Ofada road, opposite a Mobil Petrol Station.

Till date those children have not been found. “It is unfortunate that this incident of Ogunrun where the 41 days old baby was stolen happened. I pray the police rescue the baby and arrest the suspect.

Women need to be careful with their babies whenever they are working. “I also pity the father of the baby, I believe the mother of the baby was charmed by the woman who stole the baby.”

When Police contact, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Omolola Odutola said she was not aware of the incident, but promised to get back to our correspondent