UK court asks Nigerian couple to keep stolen baby


A couple, who could not have children, have been told by the High Court in United Kingdom they can keep a baby born in Nigeria, despite tests showing they were not the child's biological parents.

The mother said she was tricked by a doctor into believing she had given birth while sedated, after she went to Nigeria for fertility treatment.

But the judge ruled they were victims of an "appalling scam."

The presiding judge Mr. Justice Coleridge added the case was "extraordinary, bizarre and worrying."

Charities meanwhile have raised concerns about the judgement, warning it may encourage trafficking.

At the High Court on Thursday, Mr. Justice Coleridge ruled that the pair, who he described as people of the "highest calibre", should be given custody of the girl who is nearly two years old.

The couple – who live in London but cannot be named for legal reasons – failed to conceive a child despite undergoing IVF treatment in the UK.

They were said to be "desperate and distressed".

In 2010, the couple travelled to Nigeria where the woman received fertility treatment at a private clinic.

She told the court that when she returned to the clinic months later she was sedated. When she regained consciousness she was handed a baby and told she had given birth.

On her return to London, a GP raised concerns. The child was taken into care and a DNA test proved the child was not related to the couple.

They then launched legal proceedings to get custody.

The court was told that such "baby exchange" frauds were common in Nigeria.

http://odili.net/news/source/2012/oct/19/339.html

Wonderful !

The woman was sedated and on waking up handed a baby?was she like 8 months preggie before then?
Were there any physical signs or evidence of birthing on her body or she didn't notice?

Britain just acting blind to the very obvious "illegal adoption" . Do we even fault them, how long do they continue to clean and deal with our shyte? our own agencies didn't notice (getting the childs birth cert. , passport, etc)?

Being alive albeit sold off illegally is way better than ending up in another 'gutter or dumpster' .

Hmmmmm A poor couple in nigeria must ve been told they delivered a still born Child for this couple to get this baby. Karma must catch up wit this couple cos they r obviously lying. Who leaves d UK for IVF in Nigeria? Cos I know people that traveled to d UK for successful IVF.

Guess the Judge didn't want the hassle of locatin d real parents. Victim of Scam in Deed.

Please come sedate me, wake me up and show me the billions of dollars in my name stored at the swiss bank. We won't need a court after all, its like anything get possible in Nigeria!

Lol!wonders shall never end.hmmnnnn.
Did the woman not attend any scan to proof she had a foetus growin in her womb at the 1st nd last trimester of pregnancy (with results as evidence and of which probably the sex of d unborn child wuld av been revealed).I wish the real parents of the child been discussed were aware of this and can act.Pathetic

Shambles! A woman who has just given birth will know she has. Was this woman sedated for 9 months? While the safety and well-being of the baby is paramount, criminal activity on the part of the couple is still suspect. A mother is possibly mourning the loss of this child somewhere in Nigeria!

i no understand dis tin ooo...did she get pregnant, hw come she was handed a baby wen she woke up. Didnt she labour too. Oga

Sedated and woke up with a baby?

Tricked into believing she had baby?

Come now! Who believes this crap?

Hmmm,....Im pretty sure the parents of this kid might be one poor farmer or trader from the village who all they will say after been told they had a still-birth is...ah, let's leave everything to God, God knows best...I mean....come on now...leaving UK to come naija for IVF....na so our technology don pass oyinbo own? This is injustice of the highest order...what this couple dont know is , this girl will grow up and come across all these stories or a member of dem own family go take am insult am, and she go carry cutlass demand for her real parents...wait and see

Ummm..... Sedated, and woke up to find out she had given birth or what? Do they think we are dumbasses? Obviously they got the baby illegally. Bloody traffikers.

Policewoman: Ummm..... Sedated, and woke up to find out she had given birth or what? Do they think we are dumbasses? Obviously they got the baby illegally. Bloody traffikers.

are u really a Police officer....if so, u need to pick this up as ur project...u never know if u can investigate and get to the root of this issue, probably u get a raise or award.... we can even make u nairaland Inspector Gadget...

test case?

When i was much younge, i used to think white people were smart, intelligent and genius. Little did i know that they are just some bunch of idiott. Who would believe this kinda hocus-pocus. I'm not suprised if the judge was bribed. Nigerians can be so gullible to do anything stewpid.

she immediately became pregnant and gave birth after sedation ...hmmm nothing wey naiaj no fit do!!!...na way sha dis lie get power oooo

Who talk say some oyibo judges cannot be bribed?

The judgment is skewed. If the child were stolen from US or Canada or European country would the judge have allowed the couple to keep the child? I smell racism.

1. Yes such scam is common in Nigeria.
2. Yes such fools to believe such cheap lies are common in UK.lol.
The judge should be Arrested for deceiving himself. And allowing such cheap lies to be used to Libel Nigeria. slowpoke.

I pledge to Nigeria my country where the impossible is made possible....I thought "immaculate conception" was the greatest child bearing mystery until i heard this "sedative delivery"....Naija i hail thee.....UK keep the names of the couple hidden biko! *whispering*....we know their names.

i'm sure the court handled the matter like that cos the child is not of British origin. if na britiko pikin they steal like that, pesin no go hear word. their pictures and life-story would have been circulated all over the webs, it will come up on BBC and sky headline news on an hourly basis for the next few weeks.

I guess she was sedated for nine months!

A clear case of justice not served. what stops d UK investigators 4rm requesting d services of Nigerian agency saddle wt d responsibility of monitory child trafficing? And,I'm wondering,d woman who claimed she was tricked by d Nigerian based hospital r actually desperate & a ''high calibre big time criminals'' 4 d woman 2 wake up & wt full consciousness collect a baby after acknowledge dat no C.S. was performed on her neither was dia any blood stain,tear of her womanliness or even undergoing any form of prenatal care b4 child birth.
My judgment: Both d judge & d couple r accomplices.

informatix: 1. Yes such scam is common in Nigeria.
2. Yes such fools to believe such cheap lies are common in UK.lol.
The judge should be Arrested for deceiving himself. And allowing such cheap lies to be used to Libel Nigeria. slowpoke.

I'm not so sure that it's a scam on the people who received the baby. After all, they wanted one and probably don't care if it's adopted or naturally concieved.

Rich
PowerBook 2400 user

From all your comments so far, you are not well apprised of such happenings. The woman's story here is just a summary of what happened to her, seeing that the parentage of the child has been proven beyond reasonable doubt, else you may not be able to convince her of the truth, assuming she was not carried along by the clinic.
Such places exist in PH, I refrain from naming where it's located precisely. I have also seen a victim/beneficiary. Some woman are aware of the scam, some are not. Some plan with their husband to deceive the public, while some include their husband in the list of people to be deceived. A woman died while undergoing this some two yrs ago, she came down from some abroad.
The way and manner we treat women who have not been blessed with the fruit of the womb is so so not ok, hence people devise all sorts to play on the gullible and sometimes ignorant ones. Mind you, this costs a lot of money, depending on the sex and number of children desired.
This is how it works:
When you come, after what seems to be the doctor's chat with you about your 'medical history', she would have gotten all the info she wants and assures you of the end thereof.
You start receiving 'medications'. After some few months, you are told you have taken in (you must be advised to be sleeping with your husband regulary).
The medication administered to you now makes you react like like a pregnant woman (it's hormonal). People see th change. After about nine months, you are kept in the clinic. By this time, a baby has been arranged. The most common source is from girls who don't want to keep the babies from their unwanted pregnancies. They'd be paid afterall. They are strongly advised against abortion. Some are hired to get pregnant and give birth for this. The long and short, the 'doctor/midwife' buys the baby.
The delivery dates are made to coincide. They either tear the woman and tell her its CS or they make it look like normal one. Anyhow, she walks out with a baby. She goes to give testimonies in the church, dedication, naming ceremonies etc
That the society we live. Lots are deceived. Some victims are ignorant, belive it.
Always pray to God not to bring a temptation you cannot handle your way. Our society should also learn to accept adopted children.
As th judge posited, the case is not a regular one.
God help us.

Good, afterall human finger inside Mcd. na common tin and dey won the legal battle.

I happen to have read about this case months ago. The information I read about it then is important for nairalanders to understand why the judge gave the judgment. The woman had swollen abdomen and believed she was pregnant. She went to UK hospital and scan showed that she was not pregnant with any fetus. Some Nigerians then told her about a hospital (in Abia State) that could help her. It was at this hospital that she delivered(?) a baby.

Sisi_Kill: Sedated and woke up with a baby?

Tricked into believing she had baby?

Come now! Who believes this crap?

Only a BRITISH JUDGE!

I no tell you before say British people are very smart?

Lastpage!

THIS is ridiculous!
Seems to me like a modern day slavery thing in which a woman cunningly confuses others with false pregnancy and jets off somewhere to return with a baby. It could also be that this couple adopted a baby and covered things up to make it seem like they had a baby. In one of the streets of Lagos I lived in, a woman faked pregnancy and later brought home an adopted child, I was surprised when her only child/daughter who was like 13/14 years told me that her mummy just delivered when I never saw her mummy with pregnancy. I later learnt from the woman's flat neighbour that it was all a ruse to cover up adoption.

The judgement delivered by the UK court may have been arrived at out of frustration on how they will start looking for parents of the child that they do not know and they just decided to let the couple take care of the Baby. I only hope it was a baby adopted clearly and rightly and not someone's child illegally and secretly taken away.

ruffhandu: From all your comments so far, you are not well apprised of such happenings. The woman's story here is just a summary of what happened to her, seeing that the parentage of the child has been proven beyond reasonable doubt, else you may not be able to convince her of the truth, assuming she was not carried along by the clinic.
Such places exist in PH, I refrain from naming where it's located precisely. I have also seen a victim/beneficiary. Some woman are aware of the scam, some are not. Some plan with their husband to deceive the public, while some include their husband in the list of people to be deceived. A woman died while undergoing this some two yrs ago, she came down from some abroad.
The way and manner we treat women who have not been blessed with the fruit of the womb is so so not ok, hence people devise all sorts to play on the gullible and sometimes ignorant ones. Mind you, this costs a lot of money, depending on the sex and number of children desired.
This is how it works:
When you come, after what seems to be the doctor's chat with you about your 'medical history', she would have gotten all the info she wants and assures you of the end thereof.
You start receiving 'medications'. After some few months, you are told you have taken in (you must be advised to be sleeping with your husband regulary).
The medication administered to you now makes you react like like a pregnant woman (it's hormonal). People see th change. After about nine months, you are kept in the clinic. By this time, a baby has been arranged. The most common source is from girls who don't want to keep the babies from their unwanted pregnancies. They'd be paid afterall. They are strongly advised against abortion. Some are hired to get pregnant and give birth for this. The long and short, the 'doctor/midwife' buys the baby.
The delivery dates are made to coincide. They either tear the woman and tell her its CS or they make it look like normal one. Anyhow, she walks out with a baby. She goes to give testimonies in the church, dedication, naming ceremonies etc
That the society we live. Lots are deceived. Some victims are ignorant, belive it.
Always pray to God not to bring a temptation you cannot handle your way. Our society should also learn to accept adopted children.
As th judge posited, the case is not a regular one.
God help us.

THIS!!!
I know an example but it was another state. Crazy stuff

The couple might actually be victims of scam. I saw this and it may be of interest to you.



August 7th, 2012

by Jumoke Salako

A veteran obstetrician and gynecologist, by far one of the most popular and experienced hands in the field, Dr Jimoh Akanbi Gafar of Midland Fertility Clinic Ilorin, Kwara state, and also of Eyitayo Clinic, and a lecturer in the University of Ilorin, has been arrested for running a major false pregnancy scam on his patients.

According to sources, his operation came to the open when a patients husband insisted he wanted to witness the Cesarian section delivery of his “fortunately term-pregnant” wife. Dr Jimoh then allegedly said the case needed prayers as some spiritual event was taking command of events, and it appeared “the baby had disappeared”.

Allegedly Dr Jimoh has been running this false, Iatrogenic pseudo-cyesis scam for several years on his unsuspecting patients.

According to the case, what he does is, he pretends to have given them In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), and then he doses them on constant hormonal therapy to cause cessation of menses.

The patients now feel they are pregnant and carry on like this for the 9 month course of the supposed pregnancy, attending clinics and being tested by Dr Jimoh and his cronies in his center who make them believe all their tests are positive and normal for the period.

Point to note, these are very desperate patients who have struggled to conceive for years. In Africa, being able to bear children is almost an obligation and women are unfairly punished by the society if unable to give birth to a boy, and to any child at all. Hence, what Dr Jimoh’s center promised was very lucrative, his procedures selling for a million naira ($6,000) a treatment.
The women were also more likely to psychologically exhibit the pseudo-cyesis, due to desperation and the influence of the hormonal therapy.

Now, here is where his second dirty trick comes in. At delivery, he recommends a Cesarian section, possibly citing some form of complication and then always declares a still birth.

According to the story, he had almost been caught in the past when a parent requested to see her dead baby. Dr Jimoh is reported to have brought out some dead fetus to show, after 24 hours delay.

Over the weekend, the latest couple upon hearing his fabulous claim of the baby “disappearing via voodoo”, were said to have stormed his house and brought him out with serious lynching. At this point certain neighbors got involved, the word spread and gradually several women came out reporting similar experiences under his care. This culminated in his arrest and detention.

An old patient of his even told our NewsRescue staff, that in her case, several years ago when she failed to get pregnant, Dr Jimoh had secretly advised her to simply bring another mans sperm to his clinic for him to use to inseminate her, and her husband will never be the wiser.

If these allegations are true, it can just be imagined how many atrocities he might have committed over the years, many with living evidence. Not surprising his record of “achievement”.

As the case has proceeded, 3 of his victims narrated their cases to the Kwara police commissioner. Dr Jimoh was allegedly defending himself with medical jargon, and claiming that sonologists make errors.

The commissioner of police has delayed any release of the suspect, pending a thorough investigation, citing the additional murder case.

Dr Jimoh in his police report is also prime suspect in the murder case of one of his staff nurses.

According to the case, Dr Jimoh had performed a C/S the day of her death. He had requested she tell the patient that he had removed a dead fetus as was his usual scam. But the late nurse refused, citing the fact that she was about to get married and have babies and will not lie. The nurse allegedly disappeared that day, and was found dead some days later, not too far away, between the hospital and her home.

At present, the case is being investigated and a jail cell is what is pregnant with “used-to-be” Dr Jimoh, the fertility expert of Ilorin.[b][/b]

source: http://newsrescue.com/fertility-doctor-caught-false-pregnancy-scam-sorry-baby-disappeared/#axzz2Ahmipqwn

Na wao.

So he basically tears up a woman then stitch it back again all in the bid of making it look real Lawdhavemercy!