The Benue State Police Command has successfully recovered a newborn baby who was allegedly stolen from the Family Healthcare Centre in the Gboko area of the state. The state command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Peter Aondongu, confirmed the safe recovery during a telephone interview on Thursday morning, bringing temporary relief to the ongoing investigation.

In addition to rescuing the infant, law enforcement officials have apprehended several individuals believed to be involved in the abduction. DSP Aondongu confirmed that the suspects were taken into custody in connection with the theft, which took place on Tuesday, as police continue to piece together the details surrounding the incident.

“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,” adding, “the baby has also been recovered.”

It was gathered that the newborn baby was allegedly stolen from his mother in the hospital a few hours after he was delivered on Tuesday.

The incident, which happened in the ancient town of Gboko area of the state on Tuesday, was reported to have attracted family members, sympathisers and other concerned persons to the hospital, creating tension within and around the facility.

It was also gathered that security operatives were subsequently deployed to the healthcare centre to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

An eyewitness, who did not want to be mentioned, told journalists in a telephone interview on Wednesday that the alleged thief, who had been following the mother of the newborn baby, disguised herself as a nurse working in the hospital.

According to the eyewitness, the newborn baby was said not to have been responding at the time he was born, which prompted the nurse to move the mother and the baby to a ward for further care.

According to an eyewitness account, the incident unfolded shortly after the mother and her newborn were moved to the hospital ward. A woman disguised as a medical nurse approached the mother under the pretense of conducting a follow-up examination on the infant. Trusting her medical attire and authority, the unsuspecting mother handed her child over to the stranger, who then carried the baby toward the labor room while falsely reassuring the nearby grandmother that everything was under control.

The deception went unnoticed until hospital staff and family members realized the newborn was entirely missing from the facility. The targeted abduction followed a brief medical scare immediately after birth, during which the infant failed to cry as expected until the actual nurse on duty intervened to stabilize the baby’s condition.

“Thereafter, both the mother and the baby were taken to a ward. Not long after, an alleged child trafficker approached the mother of the newborn under the pretence of being one of the nurses.

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

“Sensing something amiss, the mother-in-law, who had been with her daughter-in-law, followed and stood at the labour room’s entrance, but she was instructed to step back, with assurances that everything would be fine, so she complied. Shortly afterwards, the strange woman disappeared with the newborn baby.”

It was gathered that while searching for the newborn baby, the nurses on duty reportedly denied taking the baby from the ward and also said the woman who allegedly presented herself as a nurse was not a member of their team.