Crime
Police Arrests Nigerian Woman With ‘Faked Birth Story, Smuggled Baby’ Into UK
Police Arrests Nigerian Woman With ‘Faked Birth Story, Smuggled Baby’ Into UK
Police arrests Nigerian woman with ‘faked birth story, smuggled baby’ into UK. The UK police have nabbed a Nigerian woman at Gatwick Airport after she arrived in the country with a very young baby girl believed not to be her child.
The woman has been tagged Susan, while the child is identified as Eleanor. Both names are pseudonyms.
According to a BBC report published on Monday, Susan had been living in West Yorkshire with her husband and children since June 2023.
Before travelling to Nigeria in early June 2024, she had told her doctor in the UK that she was pregnant and wanted to give birth to her baby in her home country.
However, scans and blood tests showed that it was not the case. Instead, they revealed Susan had a tumour, which doctors feared could be cancerous. But she refused treatment.
Susan said her previous pregnancies had been invisible on scans, telling her employer, “My babies are always hidden”.
She also claimed she had been pregnant for up to 30 months with her other children.
When she arrived in Nigeria, she later contacted her local hospital in Britain to say she had given birth.
Sussex Police arrested Susan when she returned to the UK with Eleanor after doctors contacted child services out of concern.
After her arrest, Susan, her husband, and Eleanor were given DNA tests while the child was taken to foster carers.
DNA tests conducted after she arrived showed the baby had no genetic link with Susan or her husband.
Susan demanded a second test, which gave the same result, and then she changed her story.
She blamed the negative DNA test results on an “IVF treatment” with a donor egg and sperm before moving to Britain in 2023.
Susan provided a letter from a Nigerian hospital, signed by the medical director, saying she had given birth there, as well as a document from another clinic about the IVF treatment to back up her claims.
She also provided photos and videos, which she said showed her in the hospital’s labour suite.
In the photo, no face was visible, and one showed a naked woman with a placenta between her legs, with an umbilical cord still attached to it.
INVESTIGATION REVEALS LINK TO ‘BABY FACTORY’
The family court in Leeds sent Henrietta Coker, a social worker with nearly 30 years of experience, to Nigeria for investigations.
Coker visited the medical centre where Susan claimed she had IVF, but there was no record of Susan having a treatment there. Staff told the investigator that the letter was forged.
Coker then visited the place where Susan said she had given birth. She noted that it was a shabby, three-bedroom flat, with stained walls and dirty carpets.
Coker said she was met by three young teenage girls sitting in the reception room with nurses’ uniforms on. She asked to speak to the matron and was “ushered into the kitchen where a teenage girl was eating rice”.
Coker then tracked down the doctor who allegedly wrote the letter attesting that Susan had given birth there.
He confirmed that “someone had given birth”, but shook his head negatively when Coker asked him if Susan was the patient after showing him a picture.
“Impersonating people is common in this part of the world,” the doctor was quoted to have told Coker, suggesting that Susan might have “bought the baby”.
Coker was unable to establish who Eleanor’s real parents were or where she might have come from. The doctor told her he believed the baby would have been given up voluntarily.
The investigator gave evidence to the court in Leeds in March this year, along with Susan, her husband, her employer, and a senior obstetrician.
At an earlier hearing, the judge asked for Susan’s phone to be examined.
Investigators found messages that Susan had sent to someone saved in her contacts as “Mum oft [sic] Lagos Baby”.
About four weeks before the alleged date of birth, Susan wrote a text message which read: “Good afternoon ma, I have not seen the hospital items.”
The same day, Mum oft Lagos Baby responded: “Delivery drug is 3.4 m. Hospital bill 170k.”
The local authority pointed out that the messages were set to “automatic self-destruct mode” and said they represented evidence of a deal to purchase a baby.
Police Arrests Nigerian Woman With ‘Faked Birth Story
Susan tried to explain the messages in court, but the deputy judge of the high court said her attempts were “difficult to follow and impossible to accept”.
ELEANOR TAKEN AWAY
The deputy judge said Susan and her husband had put forward a “fundamental lie” to explain how Eleanor came to be in their care, and had tried to mislead authorities with false documents, causing the little girl “significant emotional and psychological harm”.
Susan and her husband said they wanted Eleanor returned to them, describing her as “a fundamental part of their family unit”.
But the judge ordered that Eleanor be placed for adoption, and made a “declaration of non-parentage”.
When Eleanor is adopted, she will have a new identity and British nationality.
In April, officers of the UK Border Force intercepted a Nigerian couple who attempted to bring in a baby that was not biologically theirs. The baby was identified as Lucy.
The Nigerian High Commission was accused of ignoring requests to comment on the reports of Lucy and Eleanor’s cases.
EFCC Arraigns Former SKye Bank Chairman, Tunde Ayeni For N15.6b Fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, May 4, 2026, arraigned a former Chairman, Board of Directors of the defunct Skye Bank Plc, Tunde Ayeni before Justice Jude Onwuzuruike of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, Apo, Abuja.
Ayeni was arraigned on a 17-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and conversion of investors’ funds to the tune N15,665,085,429 (Fifteen Billion, Six hundred and Sixty five Million, Eighty five thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty-nine Naira (N15,665,085,429).
Prosecution counsel E.E. Iheanacho, SAN, informed the court that the matter was slated for arraignment and prosecution ready for trial.
“We have before the court 17-count charge dated April 28, 2026, we humbly apply that the charge be read to the defendant”, he said.
Eereporter.com
Count three of the charge reads: “That you, Tunde Ayeni, whilst being the Chairman, Board of Directors of the defunct Skye Bank Plc between 21st of October, 2014 and 19th November, 2014 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court and having dominion over depositors funds domiciled in the defunct Skye bank Plc’s Suspense Account, committed criminal breach of trust when you dishonestly misappropriated the aggregate sum of Three billion, Two hundred and One million, Five Hundred and Thirty Five Thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty Nine Naira, Forty two kobo(N3,201,535,429.42) by transferring same to Misa Limited’s account No: 1011295717 and 1011295718 domiciled with Zenith Bank in Violation of the Prudential Guidelines and other regulations and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 312 of the same Act.
Count five of the charge reads: “That you Tunde Ayeni, whilst being the Chairman, Board of Directors of the Defunct Skye Bank Plc on or about 27th November, 2014, at Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court and having dominion over depositors’ funds domiciled in the defunct Skye bank Plc’s Suspense Account, committed criminal breach of trust when you dishonestly misappropriated the sum of Five Billion, Seventy Eight million, Five hundred and Fifty thousand Naira(N5, 078,550,000) by transferring same to Union Registrar Limited’s Account No: 0003490559 domiciled with Union Bank in violation of the Prudential Guidelines and other Regulations and thereby Committed an offence contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code and Punishable under Section 312 of same Act.”
Fraud
Ayeni pleaded “not guilty” to the charges when they were read to him.
In view of his “not guilty” plea, Iheanacho prayed the court for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendant in a Correctional Centre.
Defence counsel, Ahmed Raji Bashir, SAN, informed the court that the charge was given to the defendant on a public holiday adding that he considered it imperative to inform the court. He also prayed the court to release the defendant to him or return him to the custody of the EFCC.
Justice Onwuzuruike adjourned the matter to May 13, 2026, for hearing of the bail application, while the defendant was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending determination of bail application.
EFCC Arraigns Fake BDC Operator For Alleged N78. 2m Fraud In Onitsha
The Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned one Okeke Ejike Callistus, a fake Bureau De Change operator before Justice D. A. Onyefulu of the Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Callistus was arraigned on a ten-count charge bordering on forgery and stealing to the tune of N78, 295, 000 (Seventy-eight million, Two hundred and Ninety-five thousand Naira).
Count one of the charge reads: “Mr. Okeke Ejike Callistus (trading under the name and style of Nwachimereze Amen Resources), sometime on the 2nd of May, 2024, at Onitsha, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Anambra State, did commit a felony to wit: stealing by fraudulently converting to your personal use the sum of N62, 745, 000. 00 (Sixty-two million, Seven hundred and Forty-five thousand Naira) being property of Ezegwu Leonard Chinedu trading under the name and style of Leatez Enterprises and thereby committed an offence”.
Eereporter.com
Count two of the charge reads: “That you, Okeke Ejike Callistus (trading under the name and style of Nwachimereze Amen Resources), sometime between the 3rd to the 7th of May, 2024 at Onitsha, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Anambra State, did commit a felony to wit: stealing by fraudulently converting to your personal use the sum of N15, 550, 000. 00 (Fifteen million, Five hundred and Fifty thousand Naira) being property of Ezegwu Leonard Chinedu and thereby committed an offence”.
The offence contravenes Section 342 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 36, Anambra State and punishable under Section 353 (12) of the same Law.
The defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against him by the Commission and in view of his plea, counsel to the EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE II Rotimi Enitan Ajobiewe prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded at the facility of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
However, defence counsel, Hypolite Ohaneche informed the court about a pending bail application before it, moved it and prayed the court to admit his client to bail.
Ajobiewe opposed the bail application on the ground that “there is likelihood of the defendant jumping bail due to the fact that he previously jumped bail granted him by the Commission”.
After listening to both sides, Justice Onyefulu granted the defendant bail in the sum of N50million with two sureties. One of them must have a tax clearance certificate. The sureties must be related to the defendant, live within the jurisdiction of the court and have a National identification Number.
EFCC
The defendant was arrested when a petitioner, Ezeugwu Leonard Chinedu, claimed that he gave him the sum of N78, 295, 000 for onward transmission to his business partner in China.
Instead of remitting the money, the defendant remitted some and sent telex copies of “ABA Bank of Cambodia” for the outstanding amount, which upon presentation to the partner in China, were found to be fake.
During the course of investigation, the defendant admitted receiving the said sum but added that he diverted part of the money for his personal use.
Nigerian Navy Storms Dayspring Island, Routs Militants, Demolishes Hideout In Cross River
The Nigerian Navy has escalated its offensive against criminal elements in the maritime domain, delivering decisive blows to militant networks operating along the Calabar–Oron channel in Cross River State.
In a series of aggressive clearance operations, personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) VICTORY and Forward Operating Base (FOB) IBAKA stormed Dayspring Island following the recent surge in kidnappings and related criminal activities.
The operation was anchored on the establishment of a forward security outpost at Idung 1 (Peacock Crossing), providing a tactical foothold for sustained dominance of the creeks and adjoining waterways.
The rapid offensive forced suspected militants to abandon their positions and flee upon contact with advancing naval troops. Maintaining relentless pressure, Nigerian Navy personnel, in conjunction with troops of the Nigerian Army 13 Brigade, secured key waterways and denied the criminals freedom of movement.
Eereporter.com
Exploitation of the area led to the discovery and destruction of a militant hideout linked to a notorious suspect known as “Juju” in the Idung axis. The suspect fled in disarray, abandoning two boats fitted with outboard engines, which were immediately seized. The hideout was subsequently demolished to eliminate its future use as a criminal sanctuary.
Further tightening the noose, troops tracked and apprehended one suspected informant providing support to the militant network. The suspect is currently in custody, undergoing interrogation and will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.
Nigerian Navy
To consolidate operational gains and choke criminal activity, a 13-hour restriction on maritime movement from 5:00 pm to 6:00 am has been enforced within the operational area.
Prior to the intervention, militant elements operated with impunity, conducting kidnappings and extorting riverine communities. The sustained naval onslaught has now degraded their operational capability, disrupted their logistics, and confined their activities deep within the creeks.
The Nigerian Navy remains resolute and will sustain this aggressive posture, ensuring that all criminal elements are flushed out and the maritime environment remains secure for lawful activities.
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