The Northern Regional Police have arrested three suspects, including two nurses and a security guard, in connection with the disappearance of a newborn baby at a health facility in Lamashegu.
The arrests were made on Sunday, December 21, following swift, intelligence-led investigations by the police.
The suspects have been identified as Abubakari Fatima Bintu and Grace Asiedu Mensah, both nurses who were on duty at the time of the incident, and Abukari Iddi, a security guard at the facility.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the baby was taken after a woman, believed to have posed as a nurse, entered the labour ward and informed staff she was taking the newborn to be given an injection. She reportedly left the ward with the baby and failed to return.
Confirming the development, the Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Alhassan Luckman Niendow, said police have intensified intelligence-led operations to locate the missing baby and arrest any additional suspects connected to the case.
He assured the public that the police are treating the matter with utmost urgency.
Earlier, the baby’s mother, Abdul Mumin Safiyatu, told JoyNews that she had briefly stepped out to use the washroom. Upon her return, she discovered the baby was missing, triggering panic within the hospital.
An eyewitness corroborated her account, stating that a woman entered the delivery room, claimed she was taking the baby for routine checks, and later disappeared with the child.
The baby’s father, Bawa Sayibu, said he received a call around 1:15 a.m. informing him of the birth of a baby boy. He later purchased medicines required for discharge and left the hospital around 10:00 a.m.
“I was sitting with my colleagues when my sister called me crying and asked me to rush to the hospital,” he recounted. “When I arrived, I was told the baby had been stolen.”
Mr Sayibu added that police made arrests after the family officially reported the incident, including one of his wives who works at the hospital.
Following the incident, angry residents of Lamashegu besieged the hospital, demanding answers and accountability from management. Some residents expressed shock and raised concerns about security lapses at health facilities, calling for stronger measures to protect mothers, newborns, and their families.
Police investigations are ongoing as efforts continue to trace and safely recover the missing baby.
