Police recover stolen newborn in Benue

The Police in Benue State have recovered a newborn baby boy who was allegedly stolen shortly after delivery at the Divisional Hospital in Gboko Local Government Area of the state.

Daily Trust had reported how the newborn was stolen in the early hours of Tuesday after a woman disguised as a nurse took the baby from his mother for alleged further care following his delivery.

Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Peter Aondongu, however disclosed on Thursday, that the baby has been recovered and promptly reunited with the mother at Police ‘A’ Division in Gboko.

Aondongu also said the police have also arrested several suspects in connection with the incident, with some of them being detained in Gboko while others are being held at the state Police Command headquarters in Makurdi.

He explained that the exact number of suspects arrested was, however, not yet known until more details are received from the police division in Gboko.

The PPRO said he would provide further details on the arrests and investigation later.

Meanwhile, residents of Gboko alleged that the baby was recovered on Wednesday night following a police operation that led to the arrest of a suspected child trafficker at Adekaa area of Gboko.

Residents said the suspect was tracked to the area through intelligence after allegedly travelling on a motorcycle from Tarka LGA, adding that the recovery of the baby would assist investigators to unravel the circumstances surrounding the alleged theft and whether the suspects are linked to other cases of missing children in the area.