A Lagos doctor has been arrested for allegedly delivering a baby and then selling him for ₦2.5 million — all from inside the hospital where the child was born.
The 31-year-old medical doctor, a traditional birth attendant, and the newborn's 28-year-old mother and her boyfriend are in police custody. They're accused of conspiracy, child stealing, and trafficking.
The trouble started before the baby was even born. The mother and her boyfriend decided they didn't want to keep the pregnancy and began looking for a buyer. Intermediaries linked them to someone in Ikorodu, a Lagos suburb.
When labour started, the woman went to a traditional birth attendant. But complications set in, and she had to be rushed to a private hospital in Ikorodu. That's where the suspect doctor stepped in. He performed a Caesarean section that saved both mother and child.
But instead of celebrating the safe delivery, the suspects allegedly closed the illegal deal right there in the hospital. They handed the newborn over to an unidentified buyer for ₦2.5 million.
The buyer, however, is still on the run. Police say the address and phone number the buyer gave turned out to be fake. "The information supplied by the person who took the baby turned out to be false. The address couldn't be traced and the phone number was incorrect," a police source said.
The mother had agreed to the arrangement from the start. But the deal went sour after she received only N700,000 of the agreed N2.5 million. "The baby's mother had initially consented to the arrangement. However, the deal went sour after she allegedly received only N700,000 out of the agreed N2.5 million payment," the source added.
The matter came to light when the woman started complaining about the unpaid balance. Some non-governmental organisations got wind of it and reported the case to the police, triggering an investigation.
Lagos Police Commissioner Fatai Tijani has ordered the case transferred from Area E Command, Festac, to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). The Anti-Human Trafficking/Gender Unit of the SCID is handling the investigation under Deputy Commissioner of Police Dayo Akinbisehin.
Police say the four suspects will be charged to court once investigations are concluded. Efforts are ongoing to track down the buyer and rescue the baby.
"The information supplied by the person who took the baby turned out to be false. The address couldn't be traced and the phone number was incorrect."
The case has shocked many in Lagos, where baby-selling rings occasionally surface but rarely involve a medical professional. The doctor's alleged role — delivering a child only to sell him — has drawn particular outrage.