22-year-old bags 7 years in jail for stealing baby

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(Nigeria) An Oredo Chief Magistrate Court in Benin, Edo State, on Thursday sentenced a 20-year-old woman, Chidima Eze, to seven years imprisonment for stealing a four-month-old baby.
The Chief Magistrate, Peter Asemota, convicted and sentenced Eze, following her guilty plea during arraignment on September 30.
Asemota did not give the woman an option of fine.
He held: “I have listened to the unequivocal plea of guilt by the accused person.
‘’I have listened to the facts as presented by the prosecutor. I have also read through the statement made to the police by the accused. From the statement, the accused admitted that she stole the baby and admitted that she and two others took the baby to Lagos and used her in soliciting for funds.
“They went out on three occasions and realised about N30, 000, out of which they paid their hotel bills and fed the baby.’’
The chief magistrate said that it was clear from the statement and the action of the three suspects that they had no intention of returning the baby to his biological mother.
“I am satisfied from the evidence before me that the accused committed the crimes which she has freely admitted to, both at the police station and in the court. In the circumstances, I found the accused person guilty as charged on both counts, and convict her accordingly in each of the two counts,’’ he said.
The Prosecutor, ASP Samuel Ogar, had submitted during Eze’s arraignment that she and the two others stole the baby on September 3 at No. 2, Agbado Lane, Off Ogbado Street, Benin City.
Ogar said that the two others, aged 15 and 16, had been taken to the Juvenile Court.
Eze was charged with stealing a baby and   depriving him of parental care.
She had pleaded for leniency through her  counsel, Mr Ogiebor Osarentin.

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