A 34-year-old woman identified as Deborah has been arrested by the Ekiti State Police Command for abducting a newborn baby from a primary healthcare centre in the Oke-Iyinmi area of Ado-Ekiti.

It was earlier reported that panic broke out at the facility after the infant, who was born less than 20 hours earlier, was declared missing on Monday morning.

Deborah was apprehended at her residence along Afao Road in the state capital on Wednesday, following a tip-off from a concerned resident.

Speaking to journalists at the police command headquarters, the suspect admitted to the crime, stating that she orchestrated the abduction to sustain a lie she had told her boyfriend, who resides in the United Kingdom.

“I didn’t want to lose my boyfriend who is based in the UK. I had lied to him that I was pregnant and had been collecting money from him for years,” she confessed.

“When he informed me that he was coming to Nigeria, I panicked. So I stuffed clothes under my dress to fake a baby bump and gained access to the maternity ward on Sunday morning, posing as a heavily pregnant woman.”

Deborah explained that she took advantage of a couple who had just welcomed a baby, engaging them in conversation in Hausa to gain their trust.

“The mother of the baby is a Northerner, and since I speak Hausa, I was able to interact with her and her husband. When the man stepped out that night to buy some items, the woman asked me to help watch over her and the baby,” she narrated.

“At around 5 a.m. on Monday, when the mother had fallen asleep and there were no nurses on duty in the ward, I took the baby and fled to my house to stage my lie before my boyfriend.”

The Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Eribo, commended the prompt action of officers and the vigilance of community members that led to the arrest.

According to Eribo, investigators discovered a polythene bag left behind by the suspect at the scene, which contained baby items and a receipt from a local supermarket.

“The receipt was traced to a well-known supermarket in the city. With their cooperation, we retrieved CCTV footage that captured the suspect’s face,” he explained.

“Further information from a member of the public — who knew the suspect was never pregnant — helped us locate her. She was arrested on Wednesday and confessed to the crime.”

CP Eribo urged residents to remain observant and to promptly report suspicious activities to law enforcement authorities.

“We encourage citizens to always say something when they see something. This arrest was possible because someone was attentive enough to speak up.”