An High Court in Akure, Ondo State, has sentenced a woman, Patience Godswill, to seven years imprisonment for stealing and selling a two-year old child identified as Blessing for N300,000.
Patience and two other women, Martha Ogboji and Nnomah Annaibe, were arraigned for stealing Blessing in Ondo State and selling her in Abia State.
She pleaded guilty to the two counts charge of conspiracy and child stealing preferred against them while others pleaded not guilty.
The trial judge, Justice Bode Adegbehinge, had sentenced her to seven years imprisonment at the initial trial.
However, at the resumed hearing of the case, the mother of the victim, Taiwo Adesina, said her daughter was stolen on August 14, 2018 at Omifon, Ore, Odigbo local government area.
Adesina said her daughter accompanied her in-law to buy biscuit when she went missing.
She added that “I later traced the girls when they did not return on time, but I met Amina crying on the way.
“So, she described a certain woman who collected Blessing from her after she had sent her (Amina) to buy bread.
“I raised an alarm and the matter was reported to the police.”
Also, testifying, Amina Olaniyan told the court that she left Blessing with a strange woman, who sent her to buy bread.
Olaniyan said: “On our way, one woman stopped us and asked me to buy bread for her and she took Blessing from me.
“When I returned back to the spot where we met the woman, she had disappeared with Blessing.
“I can identify the woman if I set my eyes on her.”
The Presiding judge, Justice Williams Olamide, has adjourned the case to January 18 next year for continuation of trial.