Benue Police Recover Abducted Newborn, Arrest Suspects

The newborn was reportedly delivered on Tuesday, August 11, at a healthcare facility in Gboko but was allegedly taken from his mother a few hours after birth.

The Benue State Police Command has recovered a newborn baby allegedly abducted from his mother at a healthcare facility in Gboko Local Government Area of the state.

The command also confirmed the arrest of some suspects in connection with the incident.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Peter Aondona, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday, saying the baby was recovered in the early hours of the day.

According to him, the incident was initially reported at the A Division Police Station, Gboko, before the case was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

“Yesterday (Wednesday) in the midnight, we recovered the baby and the baby is at the division now,” Aondona said.

He added that arrests had been made, although the police had yet to disclose the exact number of suspects in custody.

The newborn was reportedly delivered on Tuesday, August 11, at a healthcare facility in Gboko but was allegedly taken from his mother a few hours after birth.

Reports indicated that the baby initially failed to cry after delivery, prompting a nurse to attend to him and stabilise his condition. He was subsequently moved to a ward with his mother.

However, a woman who allegedly posed as a nurse reportedly approached the mother and requested to examine the newborn. Believing that she was a member of the hospital staff, the mother handed the baby over to her.

The woman allegedly carried the child towards the labour room, but the family later discovered that the newborn was missing. The development reportedly caused confusion at the facility and led to the deployment of security personnel.

The police have not disclosed the identities of the suspects or the number of people arrested, as investigations continue to unravel the circumstances surrounding the alleged abduction.

The recovered baby has since been reunited with his mother.