Strange woman steals newborn at Nasarawa hospital
The Nasarawa State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the stealing of a newborn baby who was delivered through a Caesarean section by a 20-year-old woman.
A yet-to-be-identified woman was said to have stolen the newborn baby boy at the postnatal ward of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, on Tuesday.
Speaking on the development during a press briefing in Lafia on Wednesday, the state commissioner of police, Umar Nadada, said three suspects have so far been arrested in connection with the matter.
The mother of the one-day-old baby, Mrs. Wosilat Suleiman, told newsmen that she delivered the baby early on Tuesday through Caesarean Section.
“My relative who was looking after me introduced the strange woman she met in the ward to me before she went home to pick something up.
“She told me that the woman would take care of me and the baby before she returned from the house.
“My relative thought the woman had a patient at the ward, and she trusted her to help us before she returned.
“The woman told me she wanted to bathe the baby and disappeared with him,’’ Wosila lamented.
She appealed to relevant authorities to help her find her baby, as she was still going through pain.
In their reaction to the incident, the hospital management expressed regret that the theft happened despite strict security measures put in place in the facility to protect patients and staff.
Dr. Mohammed Salihu, the acting Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at the hospital, said it was the first time such theft was witnessed in the hospital.
He explained that Wosilat delivered the baby at about 3 a.m. and the baby was handed over to her relation before mother and child were transferred to the postnatal ward.
He added that unfortunately, the relation of the patient entrusted a strange woman to look after her sister on account that she wanted to pick something from the house.
He said further that the hospital management had reported the matter to the police and investigation was ongoing to unravel the case.
“Already the relation of the mother of the baby has been arrested and some of our staff on duty were invited by the police for questioning,’’ he said.
Salihu promised that management would review the footage of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) in the hospital to arrest the culprit.
