Ekiti court jails woman 14 years for stealing baby

By Boye Oyeyemi

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

Justice Lekan Olata handed down the sentence in absentia after Ayeni repeatedly failed to appear in court and her sureties were unable to produce her.

The judge also ordered the court registrar to circulate the judgment and a letter declaring Ayeni a fugitive to the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service and the media to facilitate her arrest.

The court ruled that the 14-year prison term would commence from the date Ayeni is apprehended, while her two sureties, including her father, Babatope Ebenezer Ayeni, were sentenced to six months in prison for failing to produce her and fulfil their recognisance obligations.

Ayeni was initially arraigned on September 1, 2025, and pleaded not guilty to stealing a newborn from Mustapher Aliu and his wife, Falmata, in Ado-Ekiti on August 4, 2025.

Prosecutor Ibironke Odetola told the court that Ayeni allegedly lost a pregnancy but deceived her husband, who lives abroad, into believing that she was still pregnant, using clothes to make her stomach appear enlarged before inviting him to Nigeria for the supposed delivery.

According to the prosecution, Ayeni later allegedly took the newborn from a hospital in the Okeyinmi area and handed the baby to a midwife, who became suspicious and alerted the police, leading to Ayeni’s arrest and the recovery of the child alive.

The prosecution said the offence contravened Section 292 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021, while the court had earlier revoked Ayeni’s bail following her repeated absence before eventually sentencing her in absentia.