Woman, 37, bags 14 years prison term for stealing newborn, declared fugitive in Ekiti
A 37-year-old woman, Deborah Ayeni, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in absentia by an Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday for child stealing. The court also declared her a fugitive following her failure to appear for her sentencing.
Justice Lekan Olatawura issued the sentence after Ayeni’s sureties were unable to produce her in court. The prosecution had presented four witnesses during the trial, seeking to demonstrate Ayeni’s involvement in the crime.
In addition to the prison term, Justice Olatawura ordered the court registrar to notify the Controller General of Customs, the Nigeria Police, and media outlets about Ayeni’s fugitive status, urging her apprehension. The sentence is set to begin immediately upon her arrest.
The court also imposed a six-month prison sentence on Ayeni’s father, Mr. Babatope Ebenezer Ayeni, and another surety for failing to ensure her appearance and for not paying the required recognizance surety fees, in accordance with the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Ekiti State.
Ayeni was granted bail following her arrest on the condition that she could present sureties worth N2 million. During the trial, she initially pleaded not guilty to the charge of child stealing.
Prosecutor Ibironke Odetola detailed that Ayeni allegedly stole a newborn baby from Mustapher Aliu and his wife, Falmata, on August 4, 2025, with the intention of deceiving her husband, who resides abroad, about the status of her supposed pregnancy. Odetola stated that Ayeni had claimed to have lost a pregnancy months earlier and fabricated the story of being pregnant to maintain her marriage.
Odetola explained that Ayeni invited her husband to Nigeria for the birth and used clothing to simulate a pregnancy. She subsequently took the baby from a hospital in Ado-Ekiti and arranged for the infant’s care with a midwife, claiming to have buried the placenta after the birth. The midwife alerted the authorities upon noticing discrepancies in Ayeni’s account, leading to her arrest. The child was later rescued unharmed by police.
Ayeni was convicted under Section 292 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti, 2021.
