The police on Tuesday arraigned Mercy Sampson and Stella Madueke, in an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly kidnapping a three-year-old girl from a church.
Sampson, 53, and Madueke, are charged with conspiracy, forgery, false pretext, kidnapping and stealing.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp Chinalu Uwadione, told the court that the defendants committed the offence sometime in April, at Igando Area, a Lagos suburb.
He alleged that the defendants conspired to steal a three-year-old within the premises of Mountain of Fire and Prayer Ministries on March 3.
The prosecution told the court that the child has since been united with her parents.
He also told the court that the defendants defrauded one Mr Magnus Nwaigbo of N650,000 under the pretext that they would help him adopt a child legally from the Holy Infant Orphanage.
Uwadione told the court that the defendants forged a letter on the letterhead of the orphanage and presented it to Nwaigbo in a bid to defraud him and present a stolen child to him.
The offence, he noted, contravened the provisions of sections 314, 365 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
After the charge was read to them, they pleaded not guilty.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Adeola Adedayo, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N1 million each with two sureties each in like sum.
She adjourned the case until July 8 for mention. (NAN)