Police arrest suspects after stealing of newborn in Benue

The Benue State Police have arrested some people over the theft of a newborn baby in Gboko.

Peter Aondongu, the police spokesperson, shared this news in a phone interview on Thursday. He confirmed that the baby has been recovered.

“I can confirm to you that some suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of a newborn baby in Gboko on Tuesday.

“Some of the suspects were earlier transferred to the state headquarters in Makurdi, while other suspects are in police custody at Gboko division right now,” the PPRO said.

Sources say the baby was stolen from his mother in the hospital a few hours after his birth on Tuesday.

This incident drew family members, friends, and other concerned people to the hospital. There was tension in and around the facility. Security forces were deployed to the hospital to keep the peace.

An eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous, told reporters on Wednesday that the alleged thief had been following the baby’s mother while pretending to be a nurse at the hospital. The eyewitness explained that the baby did not cry right after birth, and this led the nurse to move the mother and the baby to a ward for more care.

Believing the woman was a nurse, the mother gave the baby to her. The strange nurse told the baby’s grandmother, who was at the hospital, to step aside and assured her that everything was fine. It was later discovered that the newborn baby was missing.

“Immediately after the baby was born, the infant did not cry as expected. The nurse on duty reportedly intervened, and the newborn eventually responded normally.

“After that, both the mother and the baby were taken to a ward. Not long after, an alleged child trafficker approached the mother, pretending to be a nurse.

“The suspect claimed they wanted to check the baby again. The trafficker took the baby from the mother and headed toward the labour room.

“Sensing something was wrong, the mother-in-law, who was with her daughter-in-law, followed and stood at the entrance of the labour room. But she was told to step back with promises that everything would be alright, so she complied. Shortly after, the strange woman disappeared with the newborn baby,” the witness said.

While searching for the baby, the nurses on duty reportedly denied taking the baby from the ward. They also said the woman who claimed to be a nurse was not part of their team.