An 18-month old baby boy has allegedly been kidnapped from a housemaid, Ukwuoma Ruth, in a Catholic Church in Awada, Onitsha, Anambra State.
The suspect had on Sunday pleaded with the 16-year-old housemaid carrying the baby, Chibuike Ezechukwu, to help her drop her offering, while she assisted her with the baby.
“She offered to help her hold the child but before she could come back, the woman had absconded with the baby,” a member of the church said in confidence.
Anambra police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, said the baby’s father, Olisachukwu Ezechukwu, reported the incident on Sunday.
“The complainant alleged that during offering inside the church, the househelp handed over his son to a yet-to-be-identified lady who sat beside her and equally gave her the sum of N100 naira for offering.
“However, by the time she (the househelp) came back from the altar to seat, she discovered that the lady had disappeared with the child and was nowhere to be found,” Mr Mohammed said.
The spokesman advised members of the public to be wary of the new pattern of child stealing and report suspicious persons to the nearest police station for prompt action.
“Religious leaders are equally enjoined to take adequate security measures at their places of worships in order to avert this ugly trend,” he said.
