Day-old baby disappears from private hospital in Abia

                                                           

Umuahia—Abia State Police Command has launched an investigation into how a day-old baby boy got missing from a private hospital, Analechi Hospital, located at 5 Ngbaronye/Udi Street, Amuzuku, Umuahia, Abia State.

The police said yesterday that all the staff of the hospital were being interrogated on the matter, even as it ponders on the where- abouts of the missing baby.

Accounts from the hospital said the incident, which took place last Friday threw the hospital into confusion as patients and visitors as well as passers-bye attracted to the place by the alarm raised by the mother of the missing baby converged to confirm the ugly story.

Mother of the stolen baby, Mrs. Uchemma Augustine, 30, was said to have gone to have her bath only to return and find that her baby had been stolen.

An account of the incident given by some nurses in the hospital which sounded very vague, had it that an unidentified woman, who allegedly claimed to be a sister of the baby’s mother, came to the hospital as early as 6.30am to visit her and the baby and allegedly made away with the baby.

However, Mrs. Uchemma, who hails from Isiugwu-Ohafia but married to Mr. Augustine, a native of Umuovom-Nkata Ibeku in Umuahia North council area, was said to have denied that the stranger was her sister.

The proprietor of the hospital, Dr. Kalu Ibe, was said to have reported the incident himself to the Umuahia Central Police Station.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed the incident, saying investigation was still going.

He said: “All the staff of the hospital are facing interrogation but no clue yet as to the whereabouts of the missing baby.”

BY Anayo Okoli