Two nurses and a female soldier have been arrested in Cross River over a stolen newborn.
Police say the suspects allegedly sold the baby taken from a young mother in Akamkpa.
Security operatives in Cross River State have arrested two nurses and a serving female soldier for their alleged involvement in the theft and sale of a newborn baby in Akamkpa Local Government Area.
The suspects were apprehended after the child’s mother, 19-year-old Justina Valentine Boniface from Aningeje village, raised an alarm, according to security analyst Zagazola Makama.
Boniface said she gave birth to a baby boy on 12 August 2025 at the Primary Health Centre in Aningeje, where she had been receiving antenatal care. She alleged that later that night, while she was asleep, two nurses on duty identified as 45-year-old Ndifon Nelly Ekpu and 38-year-old Obi Mary Baken conspired to take the child.
According to her, the nurses told her the baby had died and was buried within the facility. However, upon discovering this was untrue, she reported the matter to the police.
Police investigations led to the arrest of the two nurses, who allegedly confessed to selling the child to a buyer identified as Warrant Sergeant Aisha Yakubu, a serving member of the Nigerian Army. She was also taken into custody.
Authorities said efforts are ongoing to apprehend the final recipient of the stolen baby and to recover the child.
