Strange woman steals newborn baby at Lafia hospital
A yet-to-be-identified woman is reported to have stolen a newborn baby boy from the postnatal ward of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia on Tuesday.
Mrs. Wosilat Suleiman, the mother of the one-day-old baby, relayed to journalists that she gave birth to the baby early on Tuesday through a Caesarean section.
“My relative, who was looking after me, introduced a strange woman she met in the ward to me before she left for home to fetch something. She told me that the woman would take care of me and the baby until she returned,” Wosilat explained.
She mentioned that her relative, assuming the woman had a patient in the ward, entrusted her with their care. “The woman said she wanted to bathe the baby, but then disappeared with him,” Wosilat lamented.
She has appealed to the authorities for assistance in locating her baby as she is still in pain. In response to the incident, the hospital management expressed regret that such a theft occurred despite stringent security measures in place to protect patients and staff.
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Dr. Mohammed Salihu, the Acting Head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at the hospital, noted that this was the first instance of baby theft in the hospital.
He detailed that Wosilat gave birth to the baby around 3 a.m., after which the baby was handed over to her relative. Subsequently, mother and child were moved to the postnatal ward.
He highlighted that the baby was stolen when the relative entrusted a stranger to look after her sister while she stepped out. The hospital management has reported the incident to the police, and an investigation is underway to solve the case. “The relative of the baby’s mother has been arrested, and some of our staff on duty at the time have been invited by the police for questioning,” he added.
Dr. Salihu assured that the hospital would review the CCTV footage to aid in identifying and apprehending the perpetrator.
