A newborn stolen from a Gboko hospital by a woman posing as a nurse was recovered days later with arrests made, prompting the Gboko Traditional Council to meet Police and DSS over a wider pattern of child theft reports in the area.
Gboko, Benue State — August 13, 2026
What began as a harrowing theft of a newborn baby from a Gboko hospital has culminated in the recovery of the child, the arrest of suspects, and now a formal security meeting between traditional authorities and federal security agencies — as concerns grow over a broader pattern of child theft reports in the area.
The case began on Tuesday, August 11, when a newborn baby boy was allegedly stolen from the Family Healthcare Centre in Gboko Local Government Area, just hours after his delivery.
According to accounts gathered from residents, the baby initially failed to cry immediately after birth, prompting the attending nurse to intervene; the infant soon responded normally, and he and his mother were subsequently moved to a ward for post-delivery care.
It was there, sources say, that a woman who had reportedly been seen following the mother since her arrival at the facility approached her, identified herself as a nurse, and asked to conduct a further examination on the newborn. Believing the woman to be hospital staff, the mother handed over her baby, after which the suspect made her way toward the labour room and disappeared with the child. The baby's grandmother, who had grown suspicious of the woman's behaviour, followed her to the labour room entrance, but the suspect had already vanished with the infant.
News of the theft quickly drew family members, sympathisers, and concerned residents to the hospital, creating tension around the facility and prompting the deployment of security operatives to prevent a breakdown of law and order. Given the intense public attention the case generated, the Benue State Police Command transferred the matter from the A Division Police Station in Gboko to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Makurdi for further investigation.
Two days later, the Benue Police Command confirmed a breakthrough. Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Peter Aondongu, told journalists on Thursday that the baby had been recovered in the early hours of the day and was safe at the police division, with the child reportedly found in the custody of a woman suspected of involvement in child trafficking, who has since been arrested and remains under investigation.
PBM confirmed that additional arrests had also been made in connection with the case, with some suspects transferred to state police headquarters in Makurdi and others held at the Gboko Divisional Police Station. He said the full number of suspects involved would be communicated as the investigation progressed.
In the wake of the recovery and arrests, the Gboko Traditional Council convened a meeting with the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) to discuss what it described as reported child theft incidents in the area, language suggesting the recovered-baby case may not be an isolated one, but part of a pattern residents and traditional authorities are increasingly worried about.
The engagement was aimed at allowing traditional authorities and security agencies to share information, review existing security measures, and strengthen community vigilance around child safety.
The council is also expected to work with other community stakeholders to encourage residents to promptly report suspicious movements to security agencies.
As of this report, details on the exact number of separate incidents referenced by the council, the specific circumstances of each case, and whether any additional arrests have been made remain unavailable.
Authorities and community reporters have urged residents to stay alert while avoiding the spread of unverified claims that could trigger unnecessary panic or unfairly stigmatise individuals or communities.
The Gboko case adds to a string of child-theft and trafficking concerns reported in Benue State this year.
In May, police in the state uncovered a separate suspected human trafficking and fake job recruitment network exploiting young women with fraudulent overseas job offers during an unrelated raid in the same LGA, underscoring a wider vulnerability to trafficking-related crime that has prompted growing calls for stronger community-level vigilance across the state.
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