Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A newborn baby boy who was abducted from a healthcare facility in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State has been safely recovered and reunited with his mother, following a swift investigation by the Benue State Police Command that led to the arrest of several suspects, including hospital staff. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at a Family Healthcare Centre in Gboko, sent shockwaves through the community and triggered a massive manhunt for the perpetrators.
According to accounts gathered from the scene, the baby did not cry immediately after birth, prompting a nurse on duty to intervene. The newborn eventually responded normally, and both mother and child were moved to a ward for further care. Shortly afterwards, a woman approached the mother, identifying herself as a nurse who needed to examine the baby again. The mother, believing the woman was a member of the hospital staff, handed over her newborn. The woman collected the infant and walked toward the labour room. The baby's grandmother, who was accompanying her daughter-in-law, became suspicious and followed the woman, positioning herself at the labour room entrance. She was allegedly instructed to step back and assured that everything was under control. Moments later, the woman vanished with the child.
Nurses on duty denied sending any colleague to retrieve the newborn, stating that the individual who posed as a staff member was not part of their team. The development sparked an outcry, drawing family members, sympathisers, and other concerned individuals to the hospital premises. Security operatives were deployed to maintain order and prevent a breakdown of law and order. Some of the nurses on duty, including the officer in charge, were taken by the police for questioning as investigations commenced.
The Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Peter Aondongu, confirmed the incident to journalists in Makurdi on Wednesday night. Aondongu said the case happened at a Family Healthcare Centre in Gboko but was being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Makurdi for further investigation, particularly because of the attention the incident had generated. He promised to provide further details after obtaining adequate information on the circumstances surrounding the case.
In a significant breakthrough, operatives from the SCID, acting on intelligence and community tracking, located and rescued the stolen newborn late Wednesday night, August 12, 2026, around Adekaa Ikyese Street near the Eleven-Forty-Five Club in Benue State. The baby has since been medically examined and reunited with his mother. About nine individuals, including hospital staff and nurses on duty, were arrested in connection with the abduction. The prime suspect and accomplices remain in police custody undergoing interrogation at the SCID headquarters ahead of formal arraignment.
The swift recovery of the stolen baby has brought relief to the distraught mother and the community, but the incident has raised fresh concerns about security and identification procedures within healthcare facilities, particularly maternity wards where mothers and newborns require heightened protection. Authorities have yet to publicly provide further details on the identity of the suspect, but the police have assured the public that the investigation is ongoing and that all those responsible will be brought to justice.
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