Police say the baby’s mother and the dispatch rider are neighbours, and that the baby is fond of the rider.
The Lagos State Police Command has revealed that a 10-month-old baby found with a dispatch rider, Williams Tadule, was not abducted.
On Friday, the dispatch rider was caught with a baby inside the courier box on his motorbike in the Sangotedo area of Lagos.
The police spokesperson for the command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said the incident was not reported at any police station.
However, he said their investigation revealed that “the child was not stolen after all and that he was not kept in the courier box as alleged by the mob.”
The police command said the state commissioner of police, Abiodun Alabi, ordered that officers locate the parents or guardians of the child to enable the police thoroughly investigate the incident.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the spokesperson said the mother of the baby and the rider are relatives.
“The child’s mother, Lovina Biturs, was contacted. It was then revealed that the child was taken away and put on the dispatch motorbike by the rider with the consent of his mother,” Mr Ajisebutu said.
“According to the mother, the 10-month-old baby is fond of the rider who is a relative, a neighbour and was crying uncontrollably when he (rider) wanted to go pick up something in the neighbourhood. To pacify the baby, his mother allowed him go with the rider.
“Passersby who saw the child with the rider along Sangotedo area, Ajah on the said day, became suspicious and concluded that the child might have been stolen, raised the alarm which attracted a mob.
“The mob subsequently pounced on the rider, beating him without finding out the truth,” he added.
Mr Ajisebutu said, the dispatch rider, later identified as Williams Tadule, was said to have been rescued by the Chairman of the Sunview Estate, Sangotedo.
He added that the state commissioner of police warned members of the public against jungle justice, stating that such actions have grave consequences.
