Baby Theft: Court Declares 37-Year-Old Woman Fugitive, Hands Her 14-Year Sentence

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

According to Bush Radio Academy, Justice Lekan Olata delivered the judgment in Ayeni’s absence after she failed to appear in court for her trial following her release on bail.

The court subsequently declared her a fugitive and directed security agencies to arrest her. The judge ruled that the 14-year prison sentence would commence from the date of her arrest.

Justice Olata also directed the court registrar to forward copies of the judgment and a letter declaring Ayeni wanted to the Nigeria Police Force, the Comptroller-General of Customs and relevant media organisations.

The court further ordered Ayeni’s two sureties, including her father, Babatope Ebenezer Ayeni, to serve six months in prison and pay the prescribed recognisance fees after failing to produce her before the court.

The orders followed the revocation of Ayeni’s bail over her repeated failure to appear for trial.

Ayeni was initially arraigned on September 1, 2025, on a one-count charge of child stealing, to which she pleaded not guilty.

During the trial, prosecution counsel Ibironke Odetola told the court that Ayeni allegedly took a newborn belonging to Mustapher Aliu and his wife, Falmata, at a hospital in Ado-Ekiti on August 4, 2025.

The prosecution alleged that Ayeni had previously lost a pregnancy but concealed the development from her husband, who was living abroad, and continued to give the impression that she was still pregnant.

Odetola told the court that Ayeni allegedly invited her husband to Nigeria for the expected delivery and used clothing around her abdomen to maintain the appearance of pregnancy.

According to the prosecution, Ayeni later gained access to the newborn at a hospital in the Okeyinmi area of Ado-Ekiti and allegedly took the child away.

She was said to have subsequently handed the baby over to a midwife, informed her husband that she had delivered a child and buried a placenta in an attempt to support her claim.

The midwife reportedly became suspicious of the circumstances surrounding the baby and alerted the police, leading to Ayeni’s arrest.

The prosecution called four witnesses during the trial, while the stolen baby was eventually recovered alive by the police.

Following Ayeni’s failure to return to court after being granted bail, the court proceeded with the necessary legal orders and eventually sentenced her in absentia.