Newborn allegedly stolen in Benue few hours after birth

Tension and grief have gripped residents of Gboko Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, following the alleged theft of a newborn baby boy from a popular hospital in Gboko, a few hours after he was delivered.

Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, shortly after the baby was born.

According to a source from the area who pleaded anonymity, the baby did not cry immediately after delivery, prompting the nurse on duty to intervene.

The newborn, according to the source, was said to have eventually responded normally, after which he and his mother were moved to a ward for further care.

The source alleged that shortly after they were moved to the ward, a woman, who purportedly presented herself as a nurse, approached the mother and asked to examine the baby again.

The mother, believing that the woman was a hospital staff member, reportedly handed the baby over to her.

The alleged impersonator was said to have taken the baby towards the labour room.

The mother-in-law, who was accompanying the new mother, reportedly followed them and stood at the entrance of the labour room. She was, however, allegedly asked to step aside and assured that everything was under control.

It was later discovered that the newborn was missing.

The source said, “Immediately after the baby was born, the infant did not cry as expected. The nurse on duty reportedly intervened and the newborn eventually responded normally.

“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 newborn baby boy was nowhere to be found.”

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.

The development reportedly attracted family members, sympathisers and other concerned persons to the hospital, creating tension within and around the facility.

Security operatives were subsequently deployed to the hospital to prevent the situation from escalating.

Sources said some of the nurses on duty, including the officer in charge, were taken by the police for questioning as investigations commenced.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Benue State Command, DSP Peter Aondongu, confirmed the incident.

He said the case happened at a Family Healthcare Centre in Gboko but was being transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Makurdi for further investigation, particularly because of the attention the incident had generated.

Aondongu promised to provide further details after obtaining adequate information on the circumstances surrounding the case.