The Ogun State Police Command has arrested an officer of the Nigerian Customs Service, Azeez, alongside his wife for allegedly buying a set of 4 day-old twin babies for N500,000 in the Sango Ota area of the state.
Azeez, and his wife were reportedly apprehended by police officers attached to the Sango Division last Thursday and the babies were recovered from them.
Punch reports that Azeez, who confessed to the crime, said he purchased the babies when his wife could not give birth to a second child after 23 years of marriage.
According to the report, a police source said, “The incident happened last Thursday. The police got a tip-off that the couple had gone to Ibadan, Oyo State, to buy twin babies for N500,000. We then moved in on them and discovered it was true.
“The twins were just four days old on the day of the arrest. We have not seen the parents yet.
“The customs man said in his statement that he and his wife already had a child together but they had tried to have a second child for 23 years and so they decided to purchase the twins. The suspect told the police that he paid N500, 000 for the babies. The babies had been with the police until Friday, when they were transferred to Abeokuta.
“The suspects were taken to the anti-kidnapping section of the SCID. It is possible that the parents of the babies connived with the suspects because they have refused to show up since the day of the arrest. But the babies are doing very fine.”
The couple have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Command headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta for further investigation.
Confirming the arrest, the Ogun State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said investigation into the matter was ongoing.
“The arrest is true. The case has been transferred to the SCID, and it is being handled by the Anti-human trafficking department. The suspects are still undergoing investigation. During our investigations, we will get across to the parents and find out the circumstances that led to the disappearance of their babies.
“We will also get across to the NCS authorities to show the level of complicity of their officer. I cannot disclose the suspect’s name, because we are still investigating. He was arrested with the wife,” Oyeyemi said.
