Benue Police Recover Newborn Allegedly Stolen From Gboko Hospital, Arrest Suspects

A newborn baby allegedly taken from his mother shortly after birth at a hospital in Gboko, Benue State, has been recovered, with police confirming that arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

The Benue State Police Command said the baby was recovered in the early hours of Thursday, less than two days after he was born. Police spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondona, said the child was taken to the police division in Gboko and was safe at the time of the report.

Aondona said the incident was initially reported at the A Division Police Station in Gboko before the case was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation. He said the number of suspects arrested would be disclosed later.

“Yesterday (Wednesday) in the midnight, we recovered the baby and the baby is at the division now,” Aondona said, confirming that arrests had been made.

The baby boy was reportedly delivered in the early hours of August 11. Sources said the child initially did not cry after birth, prompting a nurse to intervene and stabilise him before the mother and baby were moved to a ward.

According to sources, an unidentified woman later approached the mother and allegedly introduced herself as a nurse. The woman reportedly asked to examine the baby again, after which the mother handed the child to her.

The woman was said to have taken the baby towards the labour room, while the baby’s grandmother reportedly followed but was asked to wait outside. The child was later discovered to be missing, while nurses reportedly denied knowing the woman or said she was not part of the hospital staff.

The incident reportedly drew family members and sympathisers to the hospital and created tension at the facility, prompting security personnel to be deployed. Police subsequently began investigating the circumstances surrounding the baby’s disappearance.

The mother has since been reunited with her newborn. Police said investigations are continuing to establish the circumstances of the alleged abduction and determine the full number of people involved.