A newborn baby boy has reportedly been stolen from a hospital in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, shortly after he was delivered.
Our correspondent gathered that the incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday after the baby was taken to a ward with his mother for further care following his delivery.
It was learnt that the baby did not cry immediately after birth, prompting a nurse on duty to intervene before the newborn eventually responded normally.
Consequently, the mother and baby were moved to a ward, but a woman allegedly approached the mother, claiming to be a nurse who wanted to examine the baby again.
The woman allegedly collected the newborn from his mother and headed towards the labour room while the baby’s grandmother, sensing something was wrong, reportedly followed the woman and stood at the entrance of the labour room.
However, she was allegedly asked to step back and was assured that everything was under control, prompting her to comply.
The woman was said to have disappeared with the baby shortly afterwards.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Peter Aondongu, on Wednesday night, confirmed the incident to journalists in Makurdi.
Aondongu said the matter had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further probing.
He said the case happened at a Family Healthcare centre in Gboko but was being transferred to Makurdi for further investigation, particularly because of the attention the incident had generated.