Two nurses and a serving female soldier have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft and sale of a newborn baby in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The suspects were apprehended after the baby’s mother, 19-year-old Justina Valentine Boniface from Aningeje village, raised an alarm, according to security analyst Zagazola Makama on Friday.
Boniface stated that she gave birth to a baby boy on August 12, 2025, at the Primary Health Centre in Aningeje, where she had registered for antenatal care.
She alleged that while sleeping after delivery, two nurses on duty Ndifon Nelly Ekpu, 45, and Obi Mary Baken, 38 conspired to steal the newborn.
The nurses reportedly told her that the child had died and was buried within the facility, but Boniface later discovered this was false, prompting her to report the incident to police.
Police said the two nurses were arrested and confessed to selling the child to a buyer, W/Sgt. Aisha Yakubu, a serving member of the Nigerian Army, who has also been arrested.
Authorities added that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the final receiver of the stolen child and recover the baby.
