Police arrest pastor for stealing baby in lagos,Nigeria

Policemen attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department Panti Yaba Lagos State police command are investigating a female pastor over allegation that she stole a nine- day- old baby in Lagos State. It was gathered that the pastor one Mrs Esther Ozuem the founder of Word Encounter Ministry at the Ijaiye area of Lagos state was arrested by policemen attached to the Alakuko police station after she came to the station on March 18th to report a case of child abandonment in her church. The case however took another twist, following police investigation, where it was discovered that Mrs Ozuem , allegedly stole one of her member’s new born baby and made it looked as if the baby was abandoned in her church ,the mother of the baby told Saturday Mirror. The mother of the baby, one Christiana Ebele 24, in her statement to the police narrated how her baby boy was allegedly stolen by her pastor after she went to her for financial assistance. She said “ I am from a poor home and my family cannot assist me. I got pregnant with my second child but my boyfriend abandoned me when I told him I was pregnant. My elder sister took me to her church where I met pastor Esther. My sister told her that we are poor and we cannot take care of the pregnancy and when the baby is born, life will be harder for us. I was eight months pregnant and she agreed to help me. Pastor Esther took me in and she promised to help establish me financially after I give birth. Pastor Esther told me that she will give me money to start a business and cater for the child. However, after I gave birth, she changed towards me. The day I gave birth ,she refused to take me to the hospital.She brought a nurse to help deliver me of the baby. The day I have birth, there was heavy rain. However, to my shock, pastor Esther took the baby from me immediately after I gave birth and warned me not to touch the child. She also told me not to breastfeed the baby and when the baby was crying and I attempted to feed him, she got angry and chased me out of the house in the rain. I was crying but she did not allow me to carry my baby. I had to find my way to my sister’s house and I told her what happened” Asked why she did not report the case to the police, Ebele said she is not literate to know what to do and her poor financial condition hindered her from seeking justice. “ like I said, I don’t have money. I am very poor and can barely feed myself. My mother is also poor and other members of my family are not doing fine financially and because of this, I decided to leave everything to God to give me justice. I found out that pastor Esther took my son and she had a child naming ceremony for him without informing me. She named him Temple Ozuem and even took him to the health centre and registered him as her son. I don’t know why she came to report to the police but even now I can’t cater for him. I need help and it is not true that I sold my baby. She did not give me any money. I only approached her for help and she said she will help me but she turned around and slapped me when I wanted to breastfeed my child. She showed me love when I was pregnant but after I gave birth, she took the baby from me and threw me out in the rain that she can no longer feed me” Saturday Mirror gathered that pastor Ozuem had registered the baby boy at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency with the name Ozuem and her mother’s name as Chinyere Ozuem where the child was immunised. However in her statement to the police, Pastor Ozuem maintained that she did not steal the baby boy but was taking care of him after the mother abandoned the child and fled.