Ekiti court jails woman 14 years for stealing newborn
Ado-Ekiti Court Sentences Woman to 14 Years for Child Theft
An Ekiti State High Court has sentenced 37-year-old Deborah Ayeni to 14 years in prison for stealing a newborn baby. The ruling was delivered by Justice Lekan Olatawura in her absence, as Ayeni failed to appear for trial after being granted bail. The court has declared her a fugitive and directed security agencies to locate and arrest her.
Following the revocation of her bail, Justice Olatawura ordered the court registrar to forward copies of the judgment along with a notice of Ayeni’s fugitive status to the Nigeria Police, the Comptroller-General of Customs, and various media outlets. The 14-year sentence will commence upon Ayeni’s arrest.
Additionally, the court sentenced Ayeni’s two sureties, including her father, Babatope Ebenezer Ayeni, to six months in prison for not producing her in court, as well as imposing fines for prescribed recognisance fees.
Ayeni was originally arraigned on September 1, 2025, where she pleaded not guilty to a charge of child stealing. During the trial, prosecution counsel Ibironke Odetola outlined that Ayeni allegedly abducted a newborn baby, belonging to Mustapher Aliu and his wife, Falmata, in Ado-Ekiti on August 4, 2025.
The prosecution presented evidence that Ayeni had lost a pregnancy earlier but concealed the loss from her husband, who resides abroad, by feigning pregnancy. She reportedly invited her husband to Nigeria for what she claimed would be the baby’s delivery, using garments around her abdomen to simulate a pregnancy.
Ayeni gained access to the newborn at a hospital in the Okeyinmi district of Ado-Ekiti and took the child under the pretense that she had given birth. She allegedly handed the baby to a midwife while claiming to have delivered, and subsequently buried the placenta.
The midwife became suspicious and alerted the police, which led to Ayeni’s arrest. During the trial, four witnesses testified, and the stolen child was later recovered alive by law enforcement.
