Lady, 20, Sentenced To Five Years Imprisonment For Stealing Baby In Church

An Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Friday sentenced 20-year-old woman, Juli Markus, to five years imprisonment for stealing a four-month-old baby in a church. The Chief Magistrate, Fati Tafida, said that the convict was guilty as charged and handed her the sentence without an option of fine. “From all the evidences before the court, it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the crime of stealing a baby. “She is, hereby, ordered to spend 1,825 days in prison without an option of fine,’’ Ms. Tafida said. The convict, who claimed to be a tailor, residing at Angwan Cement area of Life Camp, Abuja, was earlier arraigned on a one count of stealing a child.

The Police Prosecutor, Simon Emmanuel, had earlier told the court that the baby’s father, Obadiah Idi, of Kado Village, reported the matter at the Life Camp Police Station on June 30. He said that while the complainant was attending a Sunday church service with his family in Kado, the convict deceived his 11-year-old daughter, Rebecca, who was holding the baby, and collected the baby from her. Mr. Emmanuel said the convict then escaped with the baby to an unknown destination, but was found and arrested by the police. He said that during interrogation, the convict confessed to committing the crime, saying that she took the baby to Auta Balefi Town in Nasarawa State where she sold him to one Christiana Zaka. Mr. Emmanuel said that Ms. Zaka, the convict’s accomplice, was later arrested and the baby, named Daniel, recovered from her. Ms. Zaka, 43, is also standing trial on a one count of receiving a stolen child before the court.