Mrs. Leritshimwa Diyal has said that the desire to have a child, who would call her mother, pushed her into stealing a three-day-old baby in Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos.

The 32-year-old student of College of Health Technology, Zawan, Plateau State, stole the baby belonging to one Mrs. Mary Chukwuebuka.

Diyal, before her arrest, had claimed that she gave birth at a kidnappers’ den.

She also claimed that she registered for ante-natal care at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).

“I have been married for over seven years without a child; the desire to have one pushed me into stealing another woman’s child. My husband and I have sought for medical attention to ascertain the reason for our childlessness, but to no avail.

“I have contacted many orphanages to adopt a child, but none granted me the opportunity, that is why I resorted to stealing. I regret this desperation. I wasn’t thinking straight when I stole the baby.

“I plead that justice be tempered with mercy,” she pleaded.

The suspect also revealed that she carried out the act without the knowledge of her husband.

Mr Isaac Akinmoyede, the Police Commissioner in Plateau, explained that Diyal perfected her plans and leveraged on her deep knowledge of the terrain of the hospital, where she once undertook her industrial attachment.