Police Recover Newborn After Alleged Hospital Abduction in Benue
The Benue State Police Command has recovered a newborn baby allegedly stolen from a hospital in Gboko and arrested several suspects linked to the incident. The command’s spokesperson, Peter Aondongu, confirmed the development on Thursday, saying some of the suspects had been transferred to the state police headquarters in Makurdi, while others remain in custody at the Gboko Division. The baby was reportedly taken from his mother at the hospital only a few hours after delivery on Tuesday, triggering tension among relatives, sympathisers and other concerned persons who gathered at the facility. Security personnel were subsequently deployed to the hospital to prevent a breakdown of law and order as efforts to locate the newborn intensified. According to an eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity, the alleged abduction involved a woman who presented herself as a nurse at the hospital. The witness said the baby initially did not respond immediately after birth, prompting a nurse on duty to intervene. The newborn later responded and was moved with the mother to a ward for further care. Shortly afterwards, the woman allegedly approached the mother and asked to examine the baby again. Believing that she was a member of the hospital staff, the mother reportedly handed the newborn to her. The woman allegedly carried the baby towards the labour room and told the child’s grandmother, who was at the hospital, to step aside, assuring her that everything was under control. The grandmother reportedly complied, but the woman subsequently disappeared with the newborn. The family later realised that the baby was missing and raised the alarm. The eyewitness further claimed that nurses on duty denied taking the baby from the ward and said the woman who had allegedly presented herself as a nurse was not part of their team. The development has raised concerns over security and access control in healthcare facilities, particularly the protection of newborns and vulnerable patients from unauthorised persons. While confirming the arrests and recovery of the baby, the police did not disclose the identities of the suspects or provide further details on how the newborn was found. The command said investigations are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the roles of those arrested. Police are also expected to establish whether the incident was an isolated case or linked to a wider child-trafficking network. The suspects remain in custody as investigators work to unravel the circumstances of the alleged abduction and determine whether other individuals were involved.
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