Suspected child thief dressed as woman arrested in Benin

25 children rescue from the suspected human trafficker

File Photo: 25 children rescued from human traffickers

Jethro Ibileke/Benin‎

File Photo: 25 children rescued from human traffickers
File Photo: 25 children rescued from human traffickers


The police in Benin, Edo state, have arrested and detained a middle-aged man (names withheld), for allegedly stealing a toddler at the popular Oba market, King Square in Benin City.

The child thief suspected to be a ritualist, was said to have dressed like a woman, covered his head with a weave-on attachment and pretended to be deaf and dumb‎.

One of the eyewitnesses who gave her name simply as Evelyn and claimed to be a neighbour to the mother of the victim at the market, said the suspect lured the little boy named Godwin, with biscuit when his mother, Mrs. Edith Elawure, who sells used clothes, was busy attending to customers at the market.

It was gathered that the suspect who strapped the baby on his back had escaped to one of the bus terminals in the area, where he was eventually found by a search team made up of traders.

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The bubble however burst on him when the angry mob decended on him and the weave-on on his head dropped off, exposing his real identity.

Men of the Oba market (Central) Police Division rescued the suspect from the angry traders who demanded that jungle justice be meted out to him.

The state police command spokesman, DSP. Abiodun Osifo, who confirmed the report, said the suspect was already been interrogated at the command headquarters.

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