A newborn baby boy has reportedly been abducted from a healthcare facility in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident, according to reports, happened in the early hours of Tuesday, after the baby and his mother were returned to a ward for post-delivery care.
Sources said the baby initially failed to cry after birth, prompting a nurse on duty to intervene before he responded and appeared stable.
While there, a woman allegedly approached the mother, identified herself as a nurse and claimed she needed to carry out another examination on the newborn.
The suspect reportedly took the baby from his mother and proceeded towards the labour room.
The baby’s grandmother, who became suspicious of the development, was said to have followed the woman and remained at the entrance of the labour room.
However, the woman allegedly told the grandmother to move away, with an assurance that there was no cause for concern, only for her to disappear with the baby shortly afterwards.
While the Nurses working at the facility were asked about her whereabouts, they reportedly denied collecting the newborn, stating that the said woman was not their staff member.
The development caused panic and distress at the hospital, with relatives, sympathisers and other concerned individuals gathering to support the baby’s mother.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday night, the Police Public Relations Officer, Peter Aondongu, in an interview with newsmen in Makurdi, said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for thorough investigations.
Aondongu stated that additional information would be released once investigators had established more facts about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the newborn.
