Woman, 41, Admits Child Theft Charge, Knows Fate Thursday

A 41-year-old woman, Lois Atimosho, on Monday at an Ikorodu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State, confessed to child theft.

The guilt-racked Lois will know her fate on Thursday as the court has reserved judgment.

The accused risks a minimum of 14 years imprisonment according to Section 275  of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015 (revised).

The Magistrate, Mrs A.B. Adelabu-Olagbegi, who gave the ruling, said the court has found Lois guilty of child theft and fixed Thursday for sentence.

The accused, who resides at Agbede area of Ikorodu, had pleaded guilty to the charge.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Sgt. Mary Ajiteru told the court that the accused committed the offence on July 12 at Agbede on Agric Road in Ikorodu.

“The woman stole the two-year-old child of Mrs Favour Danjuma, a neighbour, who kept her six children with the accused.

“She told the accused to help her take care of her six children that she wanted to go and collect their feeding allowance from their father.

“But before the arrival of their mother, she has sold the two-year-old girl child to Mr and Mrs James, a childless couple, who reside at Oyingbo, Lagos, for N200,000,’’ he told the court.

The prosecutor said,“when the mother of the children came back and requested for her daughter, the accused informed her that kidnappers had taken her away.

“ The accused said the kidnappers threatened her and demanded N500,000 for her release.”

Ajiteru alleged that the accused, in her statement, claimed to be  running an unregistered orphanage called “Kingdom Love Orphanage.”

She also told the court that the accused was arraigned two years ago in one of Lagos courts for the same offence, but she was eventually set free.

(NAN)