Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Palpable tension and grief have gripped residents of Gboko Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State following the alleged disappearance of a newborn baby boy from a hospital in the area, just hours after his birth.
The incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, shortly after the baby was delivered at the hospital.
A source familiar with the incident, who requested anonymity, said the newborn initially failed to cry immediately after delivery, prompting the nurse on duty to intervene.
According to the source, the baby eventually responded normally and was subsequently transferred with his mother to a ward for further medical care.
However, the situation reportedly took a disturbing turn shortly after they arrived at the ward when a woman, who allegedly posed as a nurse, approached the mother and requested to examine the newborn.
The woman reportedly gained access to the baby under the guise of carrying out a routine examination, raising fresh concerns over how she was able to enter the ward and interact with the mother without arousing suspicion.
The source said the alleged incident has since left the family devastated and plunged the community into grief, with growing calls for the hospital and security authorities to urgently investigate the circumstances surrounding the baby’s disappearance.
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.
