A couple whose four-month-old baby girl was snatched from them by baby thieves in Imo State has relived their experience in the whole saga, saying they practically became mad before re-uniting with the baby five days after the incident.
The baby was snatched at gun-point from her mother in their house penultimateSaturday and was rescued by the state police command on Thursday at a private hospital in Mgbidi, Oru West council area.
Speaking in an interview with 247ureports.com in their village, Umuerim Umuoke in Atta community in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, the joyful Mr. Ezekiel and Mrs. Basy Nwagu said they were traumatized by the experience but were grateful to God that the baby was rescued alive.
They said based on the police investigation, their baby, Favour, was the only one remaining to be sold in the hospital among 10 others snatched from their mothers in the state by the gang of baby thieves.
According to the mother of the baby, “I thank God that my daughter, Favour, was saved from death and danger. I’m happy with the Imo State police command for their effort in rescuing her. My experience in the whole thing is not something mouth can tell. In fact, throughout that period they snatched my daughter, I practically became mad. This is because what I saw that day the three boys came to our house and fired gunshots before carrying Favour away.
“Before police rescued her, I had already concluded plans to return back to Ore, Ondo State where we live and never to come back to this state anymore. I queried why I returned home in Imo State to farm when I could have stayed in Ondo State. But thank God she is here now with me”.
She said since the kidnap of her baby, she had been completely traumatized and always ran into the bush anytime she saw two or more young men on an approaching motorcycle, “I’m only asking God to help me overcome this trauma”.
Also speaking, her husband, Mr. Nwagu said he was shocked to hear that his daughter could be stolen in his own house in his village, where his wife returned home to farm.
He said his own trauma before his daughter was found, was that his village people were insinuating that he and his wife arranged to sell the baby.
He said he could not bear the shame and the agony of trying in vain to deny what the people were saying about the missing baby then because throughout the entire village, people were no longer believing us that my daughter was stolen.
“We started praying for God to save her and save us from the gossip that my wife and I sold the baby which was about to live with us forever.
“So, we were overjoyed on Wednesday when we were told to go to Mgbidi and that there were babies the police rescued from a fake hospital.
”We went there and luckily, we found her. The ring leader, one Dr. Innocent, told the police that Favour was the only remaining baby out of the 10 babies they stole from various mothers in the state”, he narrated.
Nwagu who said it took him six years to give birth to their first child after marriage, lamented that the crime was happening in a state well-known for its high Christian values and advised childless couples to wait on God’s time rather than causing fellow couples pain and anguish.
“I spent six years with my wife before God gave us our first child. I didn’t buy any child anywhere. So, people should learn to be patient with God”, he said.
The Nwagus used the opportunity to advise the Imo State government to work hard to ensure the state was safe for the citizens as it si in other states, decrying a situation where a woman would stay in her house and some people would come and snatch away her baby at gun-point.
“The experience is killing. So, our government should do something about it and situations where the culprits are arrested, they should be severely dealt with to serve as deterrent to others. I learnt that the man has been involved in this crime since 2009. the police had been aware of his existence and yet nothing was done about it”, the woman said.
