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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
Sequel to the growing incidents of stealing and selling of babies across the state, a non-governmental organization, the Eunice Nnachi Women Advocacy Foundation, ENWAF, recently apprehended a 35-year old man identified as Kingsley Solomon for allegedly adopting a baby of two months.
A source identified as Madam Justina, who was with the baby when ENWAF was alerted, said Kingsley Solomon who is partly Esan (in Edo State) and Ogbia (in Bayelsa), was with baby Success around Azikoro Health Center, adding “he came to borrow money from me for transport, to his mother’s place in Ogbia.
“Unfortunately I didn’t have money to give him and seeing the baby crying profusely, I collected the baby, changed diapers first, gave her pap and milk, before, I asked him where’s the mother. He said the mother threw the baby at him. After feeding the baby and taking care, I told him I don’t have money,” she said.
Kingsley said the baby belongs to him and that he is taking her to his mother’s place Ogbia. In the course of his narration, a journalist passing by, alerted one Lady Eunice Nnachi, who came and invited operatives of Azikoro Police
ENWAF’s CEO/Founder, Lady Eunice Nnachi said, “I was called by a fellow journalist to intervene. I called the police; on arrival they took everybody to the police station with their police van
“I later took the baby Success to Gloryland Orphanage home, at Opolo area of Bayelsa state. Police asked Kingsley to produce the little baby’s mother; he said he doesn’t have her contact. So how did you contact her, her relations directed me, he said, so he was reprimanded in Police custody.”
The mother of the baby identified as Joy Lucky who came to Azikoro police station the following day to make a report, who later realized that Kingsley was in police custody said, she had a casual affair with Kingsley Solomon during the peak of the flood last year, while she was three to four months pregnant for another person identified as Alfred.
She said, she had told Kingsley that she was already pregnant but was in dire need of money hence her affair with him in a hotel along Bayelsa palm area, for two hours
According to her, the duo went their separate ways after the affair only for Kingsley to reappear when she was eight months pregnant to claim the unborn baby, this angered Alfred whom she was living with.
As he was claiming to be the father of the unborn child, this left the alleged father, Alfred furious causing him to deny Joy access to his house, and chased her away, she went back to Idafe, whom she claimed to have four children with.
After two months of child birth, Kingsley resurfaced at Idafe’s house, in anger, to take the baby, but Joy and Idafe refused him access to the baby.
When Joy refused handing over the child to Kingsley, and Idafe was not present, he forcefully took the baby away after a fight which left her injured and unconscious for a short period of time, she said.
The said Kingsley was identified as a suspect when the baby was found with him crying profusely and he could not produce the mother or give evidence of being the father of the child.
Currently, Kingsley Solomon is in the custody of the police and the paternity of the child has become a dispute.
The child has been handed over to the state government and has been taken to a motherless babies’ home, where she is being adequately taken care of until investigations are concluded.
Meanwhile, the mother, Joy Lucky is appealing to stakeholders, including good spirited people in the state to come to her aid to solve the issue and help her gain custody of her child.
According to the Investigation Police Officer, Mrs Ginikanwa S. Nwoke, Kingsley will be charged to court this week on two count charges for assaulting Joy Lucky and abduction (child stealing) of the two-month old baby, Success.
