Nigerian Couple In UK Allowed By High Court To Keep Alleged 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.