By Florencemary Nwabueze
In a dramatic operation spanning three states, operatives of the Special Tactical Squad (STS) have successfully rescued a newborn baby who was stolen from her mother at birth and sold into illegal adoption for N4.5m in Imo state.
The high-stakes recovery was announced today by a Nigerian human right activist popularly known as Verydarkblackman-VDM, in a video that he posted on his social media handle, at the STS facility in Guzzape Abuja, where the baby is set to be formally handed over to her biological mother.
The breakthrough began on April 25, 2026, when the distraught mother arrived at the office of the Nigerian human right activist VDM (MVOI). After she detailed her ordeal, she was immediately escorted to the STS Police Station in Guzzape, Abuja. The matter was tabled before the Commander of STS, ACP Victor Godfrey, who took personal charge of the case.
ACP Victor quickly ordered a formal petition, which was submitted to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) FID, Zachariah Achinyan, for expedited approval. By the next day, April 26, STS personnel had mobilized and moved to Imo State, where the primary suspect was arrested without incident.
Speaking on the incident VDM who championed the arrest said:
"I posted the video of the the mother coming to my office on 30th April because I didn't want the suspect to run away."
On April 27, the suspect was transferred to Abuja for intensive interrogation. Under pressure, she confessed that a lawyer had paid a total of ₦4.5 million for the baby. Acting on this information, STS operatives proceeded to Lagos State, where they apprehended the lawyer and successfully rescued the infant.
All suspects and the baby were brought back to Abuja yesterday. As of today, authorities are awaiting the arrival of the child’s mother for the official handover ceremony.
"When I spoke with the lawyer that bought the baby, she said that 'her sister in the UK want a baby and specifically demanded for an Igbo blood.' The lawyer paid 3.5m to the lady who stole the baby to look for a baby last year. The lady later lured the pregnant mother to Imo state, where she stole the baby as soon as the baby was born. She then handed over the baby to the lawyer on the road" VDM said
Holding the baby in his arms, VDM commend the effort of the STS for a swift response and timely rescue, stating that the rescue from the date of the report did not last up to two weeks.
He also, thank the Commander of SIS, ACP Victor Godfrey, AIG of FID, Zachariah Achinyan and Inspector-General of Police (IG)Olatunji Disu, while revealing that the police spent about N10m in the process and did not collect a dime from him.