A dismissed policeman, Samuel Ukpabio, has been remanded following his arraignment in court by the Lagos State Police Command for his involvement in the disappearance of a newborn, Joseph, at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, in the Yaba area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the development to our correspondent on Monday, said Ukpabio was arraigned in court last week.
“He (Ukpabio) was charged to court last Monday, remanded in prison and couldn’t meet the bail conditions. The case was adjourned till October 4,” Hundeyin said
Recall that six months after The PUNCH published a special report on the ordeal of a mother of three, Fortune Obhafuoso, in the hands of Ukpabio, whom she accused of forcefully taking her newborn and conciliating her with N185,000, the state police command, confirmed the dismissal of the errant cop.
Hundeyin, who confirmed the development during a telephone conversation with our correspondent, had said following Ukpabio’s dismissal from the Force, he would be charged in court.
He said, “The recommendation for the dismissal of Inspector Samuel Ukpabio has been approved. This automatically paves the way for his prosecution.
“The Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, assures Lagosians of his unwavering determination to police the state within the dictates of rule of law, civility and respect for human life.”
Our correspondent had reported that Ukpabio, a policeman attached to the SCID, arrested Obhafuoso on Friday, December 23, 2022, the same day she delivered her newborn.
The policeman, thereafter, took her alongside her three children to the police formation in the Yaba area of the state, where she was accused of attempting to sell the baby, a claim she denied.
Obhafuoso said during interrogation, Ukpabio forcefully took her baby and handed him over to a yet-to-be-identified woman from a government ministry in the state.
The cop subsequently gave her N15,000 and chased her and her two remaining children out of the police formation and warned her against returning to claim her baby.
Ukpabio sent her another N170,000 after the aggrieved mother kept demanding the child.
“The last time I saw my newborn was at the SCID, where a policeman, Samuel Ukpabio, connived with people who pretended to help me and stole my baby. All I want is my baby,” the 35-year-old told our correspondent in a special report published on Friday, January 6, 2023.
Contacted to get his reaction to Obhafuoso’s allegations a day before the special report was published, Ukpabio said the government had taken over the baby.
“They wanted to sell a baby for N3m and that is baby trafficking. The child is in the orphanage home with the government. The person that wants to buy the child is now in Kirikiri (Prison),” Ukpabio said.
Asked about the N170,000 sent to Obhafuoso, the policeman said, “When things happen like that, instead of them going and messing up themselves, they would do something for you so that you can establish yourself so you won’t be in that form again. So, the amount sent to her was to take care of herself.”
Asked why he released Obhafuoso as he claimed she wanted to sell her baby for N3m which is an offence, Ukpabio said, “She has two other children; they wanted to collect them from her because she can’t take care of them and she started crying and pleading and because of the way she pleaded, she was released instead of taking to the Kirikiri (Prison).”
Ukpabio declined to reveal the name of the orphanage home and the ministry involved, nor where the money emanated from when he hung up the call.
