A few days ago, reports that a newborn baby went missing hours after delivery at Peniel Maternity and Clinic popularly known as (Mummy’s hospital) in Anyigba, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State went viral.
Narrating how the incident happened, the mother of the missing baby accused the nurse on duty, Rebecca Amina Sanni, who was employed to the hospital only two months ago, of being the mastermind behind the disappearance of her baby.
The aggrieved mother of four, Laruba Drisu who spoke to DAILY POST in her village, Okafaga (II) in Ofu Local Government Area of the State, said she will not give up until her missing daughter is found.
Mrs Laruba Drisu gave birth on Sunday, May 28 after which her baby was placed in the care of the nurse on duty. Mrs Drisu never got to see her child as the baby was soon stolen and has still not been found.
Mrs Drisu alleged that the body language of the suspected nurse showed that Miss Rebecca knew the woman that stole her baby from the maternity.
In her word, the suspected thief was a female dressed in hijab.
”On Sunday, I was caught up with labour at about 7am. Me and my husband went to the hospital and it was confirmed that it was time for me to give birth. When my husband went home to bring some of our belonging needed for my delivery, I had already given birth.
When I delivered, it was Mummys (proprietress of the maternity) cloth that was used to wrap my baby. When my husband came back with his mother to the hospital, he was very happy to see our new born baby.
After delivery, I noticed that I started bleeding. So mummy checked me and gave me injection. Later, she put drip on my body before the bleeding subsided. When the bleeding subsided, mummy told the nurse ( Rebecca) on duty that it was because the baby was big that was the reason for my bleeding.
So mummy told the nurse to look after me and the baby so that she could go and have her bath since all her body was soaked with blood. When mummy left the room, she did not carry bucket. When mummy left there, the nurse checked me as instructed.
In the process of checking me, she told me that I should turn back so that she could clean the blood. When I turned back, the nurse went inside the room where my baby was lying down. My room is different from my baby’s room.
When I turned back, I saw a woman entering inside the room were my baby was kept, wearing black Hijab and the nurse was inside the room with the baby. Since I wasn’t having much strength after losing so much blood, I thought it was a woman who wanted to speak with the nurse when she was inside.
Few minutes later, I heard my daughter was nowhere to be found. When we discovered that the baby was missing, my mother in-law who the nurse sent on an errant alongside my husband asked her about my baby but she could not give any explanation.
She told my mother in-law that she should go to the room where the new born baby was kept or can’t she recognise her own baby? My mother in-law ran to the room and discovered that all the new born babies that were there had been dressed.
She told the nurse that her granddaughter was no longer in the room. Immediately she responded to my mother in-law saying, ”the woman that came with her wearing black hijab took the baby.
She told the nurse that it was only her and her son that came to the hospital. My mother in-law started shouting when they could not find the baby.
When my mother in-law and mummy started shouting over the missing baby, Miss Rebecca was still inside relaxing. She was just pretending as if nothing was happening.
My husband’s sister also asked her of the whereabouts of my child and she responded that nobody should ask her anything. She started abusing my mother in-law and my sister in-law before she was arrested by the police.”
When asked if she saw the suspected woman with hijab coming out of the room with her baby, the grieving mother said:
”I did not see the women with Hijab when she was coming out of the room but I saw her when she was going in.
I was very unconscious, so suspecting anything at that time will be difficult. It has never happened in this place before. All I want right now is my baby and nothing more. Let the nurse give me my baby.
I suffered for nine good months carrying this child. She knows the woman that took my baby, so let her call her and let me have my baby.”
Also speaking about the sad incident, the father of the missing child, Damudi Drisu added,
”On Sunday, my wife met me and she complained of stomach pain. Immediately, I assumed that it was time for her delivery, so she picked one of her cloths and we went to the hospital.
When we got to the hospital, mummy checked my wife and confirmed that it was time for her delivery. She told me to go home and get some of the baby clothing. Immediately I came back, my wife had delivered and I handed over everything they demanded for at the hospital.
The nurse on duty, Miss Rebecca now called me and she started telling me that the thing they used when my wife was under labour, I should go and buy it. But I responded that, it was Sunday so I won’t be able to get it that day since it wasn’t week days and many shops were closed.
I begged her by lying down so that she could see reasons with me. I understood that what she said I should replace in the hospital that was used for my wife during child birth cost N1500. Since I was very happy over the successful delivery of my wife, I gave her N2000 to buy what was used from the hospital on Monday.
But she refused to collect the money from me and she sent me out to get those stuff after refusing to accept my appeal, that was the same way she sent my mother out. She told my mum to go out and look for hot water for the baby.
Mr Drisu while demanding for justice also insist that the suspected nurse knows the whereabout of his missing child.
The daughter of the proprietress of Peniel Maternity and Clinic, Mrs Yusuf Victoria while expressing sadness on the incident noted that the hospital since its establishment had maintained standard in health practices.
She confirmed that her mother had been under the custody of the Nigeria Police since the incident took place four days ago. Mrs Yusuf, however, countered some of the claims of the complainants. According to her,
”The patient delivered at about 9:03am. So within nine and ten that was when we noticed that the baby is missing. Before the incident happened, it was noticed by some people in the hospital that they saw somebody but was not known to the management familiarizing herself with people at the hospital.
She later went in there to greet the mother that delivered the baby. So after greeting her, she communicated with her and they exchange good relationship. The proprietress went inside to record her delivery and left the patient with her baby inside to rest before transferring her to the other ward.
We learnt that the suspected baby thief wearing hijab greeted the mother of the missing baby and she responded before heading to the room where the baby was lying down. When this was happening, the mother failed to raise alarm.
All she could tell us was that, she saw that woman wearing long hijab. It was when we came back to check on her that we now noticed that the baby has been stolen. We started raising alarm, shouting whether we could see the person but all to no avail.
We have 100 percent security both day and night. That day was Sunday, we gave our security officer little time to go and worship because his church is a stone throw from the maternity.
We never had this issue before so we thought it was normal, so we gave our security officer the permission to go and worship.
We have never had any rough situation like this before. On that day, the woman whose child is missing was the only one that had normal delivery while the other two didn’t have normal delivery.
Up till now that I’m taking to you, all others that gave birth in our hospital on Sunday are still with us and their babies are intact.”
Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Police Public Relation Officer, Asp William Aya said the case has been transferred to the force headquarter as the prime suspect, Ms Rebecca and the proprietress are currently under their custody.
According to the report, the child is yet to be found.
I pray the new born is found and perpetrators brought to book.