How woman stole 10-day-old baby, gave him tribal marks in Kaduna

A woman identified as Hajiya Lanti Danfulani
visited a community in Soba Local Government
Area of Kaduna State 'to administer traditional
medicine on the sick,' but ended up allegedly
stealing a 10-day-old baby boy. She was also said
to have changed the baby's facial features and
renamed him.
Barely 10 days after his birth and two days after
his naming ceremony, Abdul-Shakur was stolen
from his parents. A woman identified as Hajiya
Lanti Danfulani allegedly stole the baby boy from
his parents in Maitankadi village in Soba Local
Government Area of Kaduna State. The suspect
was said to have arrived in the village,
administering traditional medicine to clients
before she allegedly made away with the
baby.Weekly Trust gathered that Hajiya Lanti after
allegedly stealing Abdul-Shakur, relocated to
Saminaka in Lere Local Government Area, where
she reportedly changed his facial features by
administering a tribal mark on his face and re-
naming him Hassan.
Hassana Badamasi, the boy's biological mother,
told Weekly Trust that Abdul-Shakur was her
eighth child and was discovered missing on May
7, 2013, exactly 10 days after his birth.
She said the little boy was discovered three
months after, in another woman's house in
Saminaka.
In Saminaka, it was gathered that Hajiya Lanti,
who had left her husband's house for a long time,
surprisingly returned with a male child, claiming
she gave birth to twins, but one of them had died.
The biological mother of the baby said "she came
to our house claiming that she foresees danger in
the life of our new born baby. She then gave me
three different traditional medicines that I should
bathe with them, burn another one in our room
before sleeping and also administer the other one
on my child. She said I should not close my door
if I want to burn the medicine in my room.
"At about 7pm when she gave me the medicine, I
did not use it as she said until the evening of the
next day. I fell asleep at about 8pm and when I
woke up, I could not find my child," Hassana said.
Hassana continued: "his father was not even at
home. There were no clothes on him, because he
had urinated and because of the deep sleep I fell
into, I removed his clothes without replacing it
with another before he was stolen. I came out of
the room shouting that I can't find my child and
my co-wife came out of her room to ask what the
problem was, I told her I can't find my child. In
few minutes, people gathered and informed our
traditional ruler about what happened and he
asked everyone in the community to pray about
it."
Weekly Trust gathered that few months later,
there were rumours in the community that a
woman in Saminaka who used to visit Maitankadi
village, administering traditional medicine, may
likely be the one who stole the child.
"Some members of our community went to
Saminaka to investigate. They discovered that the
woman who always visited our community to give
out traditional medicine was with the child. They
asked her about the owner of the child, she
replied that the child was hers. But people in her
community (Saminaka) said they are not aware
about the time she gave birth. They collected the
child and gave it to our people," Hassana said,
adding that "the woman went wild, insisting that it
was her child and that she gave birth to him in
another community."
It was further learnt that when the child was
brought to Hassana after his retrieval from the
suspected thief, three months after, she looked at
the child for several hours before recognizing
him, because of the second tribal mark on his
face given to him by Hajiya Lanti.
"The woman, Hajiya Lanti had given my son
another tribal mark and a name. This is the mark
we gave him and here is the one she gave him,"
Hassana said, pointing at the mark.
Hajiya Lanti, who allegedly stole the baby,
admitted that she gave out traditional medicine to
Hassana (mother of the child), adding that she
took the baby with the consent of his father who
owed her N20, 000 in connection with traditional
medicine she gave him.
"I visited the community to condole with them
over the death of an old woman, when I met with
the father of the child and he promised to give me
N20,000 to give him traditional medicine. He said
a night before the boy was born, he (the father)
heard strange movement at the back of his house
and was suspecting a foul play," Lanti said.
"But I encouraged him to pray. I did not go back
that day. He asked me to take the child away,
because he was scared that something might
happen. When I reached the house, he told me
that the naming of the child was conducted
yesterday, but that I should wait till the following
day. I came back and carried the child and left on
a motorcycle," Hajiya Lanti said.
Hajiya Lanti, Weekly Trust learnt, had lied to her
husband Danfulani that she gave birth to twins
while she was away, claiming that one died, so
that she could keep the stolen baby.
"I left his house with pregnancy, but I lost it. I told
my husband that the child was his so that he can
allow me stay in his house. I even told him that
doctors said the child should not drink ordinary
water except bottled water and we named him
Hassan and gave him a tribal mark to tally with
that of my husband's relations. Few months later,
I was called by some people who asked me about
the owner of the child. I told them the child was
mine because of the agreement I've had with the
father in Maitangadi village," she said.
"They said we should go to my house so that they
will see the child. When we reached my house,
before I could talk, one of them forcefully
collected the child from my hands," she said.
Kaduna Police spokesman Aminu Lawan said the
police were contacted at Saminaka concerning a
missing child. "The police commenced
investigations and she was traced. The mother of
the baby claimed she fell asleep when the baby
was stolen and we commenced investigation".
"The woman who allegedly stole the baby said she
carried the baby with the consent of the father.
The father of the child, however, denied the
allegation, saying he never gave out his new born
baby to any person for whatever reasons.
"I am not in the picture of what she is saying," the
father of the stolen baby said.
"We are still investigating, because there is yet
another child and she claims to be the biological
mother. As soon as we finish, she will be charged
to court," Lawan added.