MAKURDI — A newborn baby stolen shortly after birth from a hospital in Gboko, Benue State, has been safely recovered and reunited with his mother following a swift investigation by the Benue State Police Command.
The incident occurred when an unidentified woman, suspected to be an operative in a child-trafficking syndicate, trailed an expectant mother to the healthcare facility in Gboko. Attendants and nursing staff at the ward reportedly assumed the suspect was a relative accompanying the patient.
Following a successful delivery, the suspect entered the maternity ward while the mother was resting, took the infant, and slipped out of the hospital undetected.
The infant’s disappearance triggered an immediate security alarm, leading to the arrest of about nine individuals, including hospital staff and nurses on duty. The case was subsequently transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Makurdi for intensive investigation.
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, while the prime suspect and accomplices remain in police custody undergoing interrogation at the SCID headquarters ahead of formal arraignment.
