Anthony Iwuoma
A victim of cryptic pregnancy scam in Akwa Ibom State has demanded for a refund of her N800, 000.
The victim, Mrs. Stella Francis Edet, of Okopedi village, Okobo Local Council Area of Akwa Ibom State, claimed that the money was paid to 42-year-old Comfort Edet Effiong, a traditional birth attendant, for assistance to conceive and have a child through cryptic process.
Mrs. Edet, 26, had on Thursday sought the help of Akwa Ibom State Police Command when the Commissioner of Police in the state, Imohimi Edgal, paraded over 50 suspects at the state police headquarters in Ikot-Akpanabia, Uyo. The suspects allegedly committed diverse offences, including cultism, armed robbery and kidnapping, rape, child theft and trafficking, among others in the last four month.
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Mrs. Edet victim fell into the alleged scammer’s trap while searching for a second child. She had her first child nine years ago and subsequently experienced miscarriages since then. She alleged that the suspect promised to help her conceive and bear another child for which she coughed out N800, 000 but has nothing to show for it.
The victim also claimed that a friend convinced her that the arrangement was genuine but that Comfort only gave her some drugs that succeeded in making her tummy to start protruding after some time. This made her believe she had got pregnant, as she also developed normal signs of pregnancy and felt like a baby was moving inside her.
The bubble burst, however, at the time of delivery when Comfort sedated her and cut her pelvis with razor blade. On regaining consciousness, she was presented with a baby boy but she promptly rejected the baby as hers because it was about a week old and its navel already fallen off.
She immediately raised an alarm, which led to a fight between her and the suspect.
Mrs. Edet stated that despite wanting a second child, nothing would make her to take another person’s child. Briefing newsmen on the matter, the state police boss said: “On 9/3/2020 at about 9pm, following a distress call, Operatives of Family Unit proceeded to Ifa Atai village and arrested one Comfort Edet Effiong ‘f’, aged 42 years, a traditional birth attendant, on allegation by one Stella Francis Edet ‘f’, aged 26yrs of Okopedi village, Okobo Local Government Area that she went to Sapodic Clinic, Ukanafun in 2018 where one Dr. Saturday Aaron and his staff injected her, thus causing her womb to protrude.
“That she received a call on 9/3/2020 from one Mfon ‘f’, other names unknown now at large, that she was due for delivery. However, on getting to the delivery home, the traditional birth attendant gave her an injection on her lap to prevent her from feeling pain, and thereafter told her to lie on the floor. After a while, she noticed that the birth attendant covered her face with wrapper, used razor to cut her pelvis, and thereafter brought a baby claiming that she delivered the baby. That she raised alarm that she was not the mother of the child and fight ensued between both of them.
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“Investigation revealed that Mrs. Stella paid the traditional birth attendant the sum of eight hundred thousand naira (N800, 00.00) for delivery. Comfort Edet Effiong ‘f’, the traditional birth attendant in her statement admitted the crime, stating that she gave the eight hundred thousand naira (N800, 00.00) to Mfon who is still at large. On the basis of investigation, operatives proceeded to Ukanafun where Dr. Saturday Aaron was arrested, along with his two staff namely, Imoh Johnny Eyop ‘f’, aged 29yrs and Janet Sunday Emmanuel ‘f’, aged 28yrs; and recovered substance suspected to be concoction used in administering to women for false pregnancy.”