The Northern Regional Police Command has arrested three individuals in connection with the alleged abduction of a newborn baby from the One Heart Hospital in Tamale. The arrests were made on Sunday, December 21, by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU).
Those in custody include two nurses on duty at the time, Abubakari Fatima Bintu and Grace Asiedu Mensah, and a security guard, Abukari Iddi.
The incident occurred after an unidentified woman, suspected of impersonating a nurse, entered the labour ward. She informed staff she was taking the infant for an injection and then left the facility with the baby, failing to return.
The baby’s mother, Abdul Mumin Safiyatu, recounted that she had briefly left the ward to use the restroom. Upon her return, she discovered her newborn was missing, causing immediate distress within the hospital.
An eyewitness report also indicated that a woman entered the delivery room, stated she was taking the child for essential checks, and subsequently vanished with the baby.
The infant’s father, Bawa Sayibu, received the news of his son’s birth around 1:15 a.m. He later purchased discharge medications and left the hospital at approximately 10 a.m., only to be urgently summoned back by a tearful relative.
“When I arrived, I was told the baby had been stolen,” Sayibu stated. He confirmed that after the family reported the theft, police made arrests, including one of his own wives, who is employed at the hospital.
Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Alhassan Luckman Niendow, emphasized that intelligence-led operations are actively underway to locate the missing newborn and apprehend additional suspects. He assured the public that police are treating the case with utmost urgency.
The incident has provoked strong public reaction, with residents of Lamashegu gathering at the hospital to demand accountability. Many expressed alarm over the breach and called for strengthened security protocols in healthcare facilities to safeguard patients and their families.
