A Nigerian man, Moses Omogo Chidiebere, 43, was arrested with his Italian wife, Rosa Vespa, 51, over the abduction of a one-day-old baby from a clinic in the Calabrian city of Cosenza, southern Italy.
Police on Tuesday 22nd January 2025 arrested Vespa, a Cosenza native, and Chidiebere after an extensive, three-hour manhunt.
A preliminary investigations judge (GIP) in Cosenza on Friday 25th January ordered the release of Chidiebere because he was unaware of the scheme, his lawyer claimed.
Vespa, who had reportedly pretended to be pregnant over the past nine months and had announced on 8th January the alleged birth of a baby boy, Ansel, posed as a nurse at the clinic and took the baby away from the mother’s room, saying she needed to take her to see the clinic’s paediatrician for a check-up.
Officers identified the pair thanks to surveillance footage inside the clinic showing them taking the baby away.
When they broke into their home, they found the couple celebrating the baby’s arrival with family.
They had dressed the baby in blue, investigative sources said.
Vespa had reportedly told relatives they could not visit the clinic while she was giving birth, claiming her baby had then been hospitalised longer due to a health issue.
The abducted newborn, called Sofia, was found to be in good health after a medical check-up and returned home to her parents and six-year-old brother on Thursday 24th January.
The Nigerian man’s defence attorney, Gianluca Garritano, said his client was unaware of the kidnapping and was also convinced that his wife was really pregnant.
The lawyer claimed Vespa had pretended to be pregnant with her husband prior to the abduction and had a “belly that made her seem pregnant.”
“My client was considered entirely reliable when he said he believed his wife was pregnant,” said Garritano.
“There are pictures portraying Moses while he kisses his wife’s belly.”
“She even showed her husband a letter of dismissal from the clinic,” he added.
