The Delta State Police Command has arrested a woman identified simply as Joy for allegedly abducting two infants to replace her deceased twin babies ahead of a planned child dedication ceremony.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Bright Edafe, revealed the incident in a video shared on Facebook.

He described the incident as one of the most disturbing child abduction cases handled by the command, adding that the suspect allegedly abducted a four-month-old baby after posing as a customer at a groundnut-selling point.

He said the suspect allegedly took advantage of a moment of distraction, deceived a 14-year-old caregiver, and fled with the child.

According to him, investigations further revealed that Joy had allegedly abducted another infant weeks earlier using a similar method. He added that she was said to have befriended an 18-year-old mother under the pretext of helping her secure a househelp before making away with the baby during an outing.

He said that during interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed that she resorted to stealing the children following the death of her biological twins, whom she claimed died at six weeks old while she was away from home.

“Fearing the reaction of relatives and invited guests, she allegedly decided to abduct a boy and a girl to replace the deceased children,” the statement said.

Edafe said the suspect admitted abducting the first child about three weeks earlier and stealing the second infant a day before the scheduled dedication service, adding that the two children were allegedly presented and dedicated before her arrest.

A Toyota Corolla car belonging to a Magistrate in Abia State, Ngozi Lekwa of Court 2, has reportedly been stolen in Umuahia by car thieves.

The vehicle was packed outside the court premises along Finbars Road by the owner on Tuesday, to handle a brief official duty, but was nowhere to be found by the time the Chief Magistrate returned to the spot at noon.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of the Abia State Police Command, DSP Maureen Chinaka, said the case has been reported to the police, stressing that investigations were ongoing to recover the car and apprehend the thieves.

In a related development, a Brown Toyota Sienna car belonging to the wife of the traditional ruler of Nkpa community in Bende LGA, G.N. Izuwa, was on Sunday, stolen at the Assemblies of God Church, Umuahia by unknown persons.

The vehicle was taken away at No. 5-8 Item Street, Umuahia, when the Monarch’s wife, who came to church in the car, was still worshipping inside the church.

Also, the Abia State correspondent of Vanguard newspaper, Steve Oko’s black Toyota Camry car, was also stolen in front of Oko’s residence at Uwalaka Street, Umuahia, a few weeks ago and has not yet been found, among other reports.

There was pandemonium in Iluke community of Bunu District of Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Wednesday when bandits struck and killed a vice principal of a school alongside two others and kidnapped three students.

The attack, which was said to have taken place in the early hours of Wednesday, threw the community into mourning and heightened concerns over security in the area.

According to report, students who were scheduled to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, English Language paper on Wednesday were taken away during the incident.

Reacting to the development, the Kogi State Government said security operatives foiled an attempted mass abduction of students during the attack.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said the attackers disguised themselves in military uniforms to gain access to the community.

According to the government, three community members lost their lives in the attack, while security personnel successfully rescued students who were allegedly being taken away by the assailants.

“The unfortunate attack led to the death of three members of the community. The government extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased, the people of Iluke Community, and the entire Bunu District over this painful loss,” the statement said.