Ekiti court hands woman 14-year jail sentence for stealing newborn baby

An Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced 37-year-old Deborah Ayeni to 14 years in prison for stealing a newborn baby.

Justice Lekan Olatawura delivered the judgment in her absence after she failed to attend her trial following her release on bail. The court declared her a fugitive and directed security agencies to arrest her. The judge ruled that the sentence would begin on the date of her arrest. He also directed the court registrar to send copies of the judgment and a letter declaring her wanted to the Nigeria Police, the Comptroller-General of Customs and the media.

Ayeni’s two sureties, including her father, Babatope Ebenezer Ayeni, were ordered to serve six months in prison and pay the prescribed recognisance fees for failing to produce her in court. The orders followed the revocation of her bail over her failure to appear for trial. Ayeni was arraigned on September 1, 2025, and pleaded not guilty to a one-count charge of child stealing.

Prosecution counsel Ibironke Odetola told the court that Ayeni took a newborn belonging to Mustapher Aliu and his wife, Falmata, in Ado-Ekiti on August 4, 2025. According to the prosecution, Ayeni had lost a pregnancy but concealed the loss from her husband, who lived abroad, and continued pretending to be pregnant.

Odetola said Ayeni invited her husband to Nigeria for the supposed delivery and placed clothing around her abdomen to maintain the appearance of pregnancy. The prosecution said she later gained access to the newborn at a hospital in the Okeyinmi area of Ado-Ekiti and took the child away.

She allegedly handed the baby to a midwife, told her husband she had given birth and subsequently buried a placenta. The midwife became suspicious and alerted the police, leading to Ayeni’s arrest. The prosecution called four witnesses during the trial. Police recovered the baby alive.