Police in Lagos State have arrested a 30-year-old man accused of selling his sister’s one-month-old baby for 2 million naira to raise money for their mother’s burial.
The suspect, who lives in the Igbogbo area of Ikorodu, allegedly arranged the sale after contacting a woman on Facebook who said she wanted a child, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Police said the baby’s mother later reported the incident, leading to the man’s arrest.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police Olohundare Jimoh has ordered that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti for further investigation.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday, the suspect admitted to selling the child but blamed financial hardship.
“Hardship pushed me to commit the act. My sister agreed to the idea,” he said.
According to the suspect, he met the buyer through Facebook and agreed to deliver the baby to the Mile 2 area of Lagos.
He said he went to the location with his sister, where a man sent by the buyer collected the baby while the woman transferred the money to his bank account.
The suspect said he gave his sister 500,000 naira from the proceeds and used the remaining money to organize their mother’s burial.
He said his sister later demanded that the baby be returned and claimed she had not agreed to the sale, accusing him of using charms to persuade her.
“My sister later said she was not aware of the sale and reported me to the police, which led to my arrest,” he said.
The suspect added that he does not know the buyer personally and does not have her address, saying her phone number has been unreachable since the transaction.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Dayo Akinbisehin, who oversees the State Criminal Investigation Department, said investigations are ongoing.
He said the suspect will be charged in court after the investigation is completed.
