Newborn stolen in Nasarawa hospital, police arrest three

The Nasarawa State Police Command has initiated an investigation into the abduction of a newborn baby born through a Caesarean section by a 20-year-old woman at Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia. The baby boy was reported to have been taken by an unidentified person a few hours after birth on Tuesday, January 9, 2024.

Addressing the press in Lafia on Wednesday, the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Nadada, disclosed that three suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident. According to Nadada, Suleiman Abdullahi reported the incident at A Division Police Station, explaining that his brother's wife, who was assisting his wife, entrusted the newborn to an unknown woman while she went home to retrieve a charger. However, upon her return, both the child and the woman were nowhere to be found.

Nadada emphasized that the matter is currently under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department, and the outcome will be communicated to the media in due course. While the incident occurred around 6 am at the post-natal ward of the Specialist Hospital, it was revealed that the caregiver left the baby in the care of the stranger.

The mother of the newborn, Wosilat Suleiman, recounted that her relative introduced the unknown woman to her and entrusted her with the care of the baby while she briefly left to get something. The woman claimed she wanted to bathe the baby and disappeared with him. Wosilat Suleiman pleaded with authorities to assist in locating her child, expressing the profound distress caused by the loss.

In response to the incident, Dr. Mohammed Salihu, the acting Head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the hospital, stated that it was the first time such an incident occurred in the hospital. He confirmed the collaboration with the police to identify the suspect and highlighted the review of CCTV footage to aid in the investigation. Relatives of the baby's mother and hospital staff on duty have also been questioned by the police.