Kebbi Police Arrest 19-Year-Old Woman Over Alleged Newborn Baby Theft

The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested a 19-year-old woman in Zuru Local Government Area for allegedly stealing a newborn baby and presenting the child to her husband as her own.

According to Ireporter Online, the development was disclosed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Bashir Usman, in a statement issued on August 16, 2026.

The police said the incident occurred on July 23, 2025, when the suspect allegedly visited a woman identified as Fatima Muhammad shortly after she gave birth.

According to the report, the suspect offered to fetch hot water for the new mother but allegedly used the opportunity to leave with the newborn instead of returning.

Investigators reportedly discovered that the suspect had been facing pressure over her inability to have a child. She was also said to have spent about nine months pretending to her husband that she was pregnant.

When she allegedly reached the period she had claimed she would give birth, the suspect reportedly stole Muhammad’s newborn and presented the child to her husband.

Following sustained investigations, police operatives arrested the suspect on August 14, 2026, and recovered the baby.

The child was subsequently reunited with the biological mother, while the suspect remained in police custody pending the completion of investigations.

The Commissioner of Police in Kebbi State, CP Umar Hadejia, commended the officers involved in the operation and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting children and ensuring that anyone found responsible for such offences faces the law.

The suspect is expected to be charged before a court after the conclusion of the investigation.