The Benue State Police Command has recovered a newborn baby boy allegedly stolen from a healthcare facility in Gboko Local Government Area shortly after his birth, and confirmed the arrest of several suspects in connection with the incident.
Police Public Relations Officer DSP Peter Aondongu said the baby was taken from his mother on Tuesday morning at the Family Healthcare Centre in Gboko by a woman who allegedly disguised herself as a nurse. According to witnesses, the newborn did not cry immediately after delivery, prompting a nurse on duty to intervene; once the baby responded normally, the mother and child were moved to a ward, where the impostor approached and asked to examine the baby again before taking him toward the labour room.
The theft triggered tension at the hospital, drawing family members and concerned residents to the facility before security operatives were deployed. Aondongu said the baby was recovered in the early hours of Thursday and reunited with his mother at the police "A" Division in Gboko, with some suspects transferred to the state police headquarters in Makurdi and others held locally. Investigators are working to determine whether those arrested are linked to other cases of missing children in the area.