By DEBORAH AKPEDE

The Police Command in Lagos State has arrested a 30-year-old man who allegedly sold his sister’s one-month-old baby for N2 million.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suspect, a resident of Igbogbo in the Ikorodu area of the state, claimed that he sold his younger sister’s baby to fund their mother’s burial.

The mother of the baby reported the incident to the police leading to the arrest of the suspect.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Olohundare Jimoh, has ordered the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, for further investigation.

Speaking with NAN on Friday in Lagos, the suspect who confessed to the act, blamed poverty for his actions.

The suspect claimed that he met the woman who bought the baby on Facebook.

“Hardship pushed me to commit the act. My sister agreed to the idea.

“I met the woman who is in need of a child on Facebook, and after negotiations, she asked me to bring the baby to Mile 2.

“I went to the location with my sister, where a man sent by the buyer collected the baby and the woman transferred N2 million to my account,” he said.

The suspect said he gave his sister N500,000 out the money and used the balance to organise their mother’s burial.

He said after the burial, his sister demanded the return of her baby, alleging that he used charms on her to convince her to sell the child.

“My sister later said she was not aware of the sale, and reported me to the police which led to my arrest,” he said.

The suspect said he did not know the buyer personally and had no information about her address, adding that her phone number had not been reachable since the purchase.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCID, Mr Dayo Akinbisehin, told NAN that investigations into the case were ongoing.

Akinbisehin said that the suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations. (NAN)

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