A 42-year-old Akure’s popular food seller was remanded in court at the Ondo Correctional Center on Sunday for allegedly involved in the disappearance of a four-year-old child, Jensita, to detain her.
The defendant, the owner of Chioma restaurant in the metropolitan city of Akur, was arraigned with Nneka Onah, 23, the mother of the missing child, on two counts of theft of a child.
Police prosecutor Martins Olowofeso told the court that the alleged charges were committed along Hospital Road in Akure on February 7, 2025.
Olowofeso claims the defendant stole a four-year-old girl, Jensita, on Sunday.
It is reported that the mother of the missing child released her daughter to the second defendant, who was her boss and promised to take good care of her after she insisted on her custody.
It is reported that after staying for two weeks, ifeanyi, the father who is happy to approach the child, is at the workplace and is supposed to raise his daughter and claim that he came to pick up the child without her consent.
According to the allegations, the crime violated Article 371 of the Criminal Law of 2006.
The prosecutor urged the court to send the defendant back to the corrections center for advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Alex Olademehin, the attorney for the first defendants, told the court that his client approved bail to allow her to access medical services, adding that she had been detained by police for two weeks.
Olademehin said the second defendant had been walking freely and opened without regrets before appearing in court.
Judge BA Alphonso ordered happiness to be remitted at the Olokuta Correctional Center, while the mother of the missing child was detained by police for necessary medical care and jail.
The district magistrate ordered the case files to be forwarded to the police for proper investigation.
The case was adjourned until March 25, 2025.
A sequel to the court order, summoning police to order the restaurant to close on Thursday and arresting all workers.
