Ekiti court jails woman 14 years for stealing newborn

In a recent ruling, a court in Ekiti State, Nigeria, has handed 37-year-old Deborah Ayeni a 14-year prison sentence for the theft of a newborn baby. Ayeni, who did not appear in court when the judgment was passed, was declared a fugitive, prompting security forces to pursue her arrest. Justice Lekan Olatawura informed the Nigeria Police, the Comptroller-General of Customs, and the media of the sentence, which will commence upon her apprehension.

Furthermore, Ayeni's two sureties, including her father Babatope Ebenezer Ayeni, were each given six months in prison and ordered to pay recognizance fees due to their failure to bring her to court. The sentence was imposed after Ayeni's bail was revoked following her absence from the trial on September 1, 2025. Initially, Ayeni pleaded not guilty to a charge of child stealing, alleging that she had lost a pregnancy but concealed it from her husband, who was overseas, by pretending to remain pregnant.

Prosecutors claimed she subsequently invited her husband to Nigeria for a false delivery, using clothing to maintain the appearance of pregnancy. She then allegedly stole the newborn from a hospital, delivering the placenta herself. Ayeni's deception was uncovered when a suspicious midwife alerted the police, resulting in her capture. The police recovered the infant unharmed.