Police rescue stolen newborn, arrest 11 suspects in Benue

The Benue State Police Command has rescued a newborn baby who was reportedly stolen immediately after delivery at a healthcare facility in Gboko, Gboko Local Government Area of the state, and arrested 11 suspects in connection with the incident.

This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Orchia Aondogwu.

He said that on August 12, 2026, at about 11 am, operatives attached to A Division, Gboko, received a complaint from one Aondofa Chia that his wife had delivered a baby at a healthcare facility in Gboko and that the newborn had gone missing shortly after birth.

Aondogwu said that upon receiving the report, police operatives immediately commenced an investigation, which led to the arrest of nine suspects for questioning and to assist in establishing the circumstances surrounding the disappearance.

He said further investigation led to the arrest of two additional suspects at about 10 pm on the same day, including the principal suspect, Mrs Nguhemen Asugh, 35, who allegedly stole the newborn baby. The infant was subsequently rescued from her custody and safely reunited with the mother.

Aondogwu said that with the latest arrests, a total of 11 suspects are currently in police custody in connection with the offence. He added that investigations were ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the case, determine the roles played by all the suspects and ascertain each person’s degree of culpability.