How DSS arrested woman who allegedly stole eight day old baby in Bauchi

From David Kuvie Bauchi

Operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) Bauchi State have arrested a woman who allegedly stole a baby at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi.

The suspect, who allegedly disguised as a nurse to steal the 8-day old twin boy, Ibrahim Mohammed, was arrested by the DSS on Tuesday.

Information revealed that after stealing the baby, the suspect took him home to her village in Dull, Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state, saying that she had given birth.

But her husband outrightly rejected her story, and told his wife to return the child from wherever she took him from.

According to information, having heard about the incidence of a missing baby at ATBUTH, her co-wife raised an alarm and the matter was reported to security agents .

On getting the lead, the DSS visited Dull and embarked on a house to house check where they eventually found the  missing baby and the suspected woman was immediately arrested.

The suspect confessed that she stole the baby due to mockery from her co-wife  and husband’s family because she was childless.

She narrated that the prolonged mockery made her to become frustrated at not being able to conceive. 

The suspect is currently in DSS custody at the time of filing this report.

In her statement, it was discovered that the suspect had never given birth. She confessed that she stole the baby due to the mockery from her mate and others, including the family of her husband. 

Mother of the baby,  Bilkisu Alhassan, recalled that the woman shortly before stealing her baby, told her that she observed that the baby was not having enough breast milk and needed to be fed with milk mixed with other.

According to her, the fake nurse assured her that she had spoken with a doctor in the Children ward who promised to get the milk and other baby foods for her.

“I told her that the father had bought the foods for them but she said that it was not those ones, they needed something better,” Alhassan said.

“She asked me which among the twins was the senior and I showed her Ibrahim, she then stretched her hands to carry him. She told me that she was taking him to the children examination room. I did not know her but I kind of trusted her, I told her to wait for my mother in law to come but she just went away”. 

While confirming that the baby had been found, Management ATBUTH, said that the 14 days old twin baby stolen from the hospital was recovered in Bauchi 

Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of ATBUTH, Dr Haruna Liman stated this at the handing over of the stolen baby to the mother on Tuesday in Bauchi.

Liman said that the baby was stolen from the mother in the Hospital eight days after she gave birth to a set of twins.

“The baby was stolen on 21 September 2022 by 4:30 pm from the mother who was receiving treatment in the hospital,” he said.

“The baby boy was rescued today (September 27) around 1:00am in good health and sound” .

“We appreciate God and the effort put by the Internal security of the hospital ,Department of Security Services (DSS) Police and other security agencies in recovering the baby”

Liman said that security agencies had already arrested the woman suspect for carrying out the crime.

“She is with them under interrogation, that is all we know after the security agencies have handed over the baby to the Hospital  management,” Liman said.

“We are now handing over the two-week-old twin baby boy to the mother and the family in good health”

The Chairman explained that the management would review the security architecture of the hospital as well install more security technology devices in the hospital.

On his part, District head of Bauchi, Nura Adamu Jumba urged the management of ATBUTH to review the security mechanism of the hospital in earnest to avoid reoccurrence.

He pledged that traditional leaders would always educate residents on proper time of visiting patients in hospitals, urging the management to build a relationship with the family of the stolen and recovered child to give him a sense of belonging.

While responding on behalf of the family of the stolen baby, Shitu Kalid, expressed his appreciation to the management of the hospital for their concern and the security agencies for recovering the baby.