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The Jigawa State Police Command has arrested a nursing officer and a 20-year-old woman over the alleged abduction of a one-and-a-half-year-old boy from the paediatric ward of Babura General Hospital. The suspects were identified as 25-year-old Sadik Sale Yahaya, a nursing officer attached to the hospital, and Khadija Aliyu of Kinkinau Quarters, Kaduna State. Police said the arrests followed a distress call reporting the disappearance of the child, prompting an immediate intelligence-led operation that led to the baby’s rescue.
According to the police, operatives tracked Khadija Aliyu to the outskirts of the town, where she was arrested while allegedly in possession of the missing child. Investigators later arrested the nursing officer after preliminary findings linked him to the alleged conspiracy. The police further disclosed that the woman allegedly planned to take the child to an orphanage in Kaduna State and sell him for ₦2 million. During interrogation, the suspect reportedly confessed to the plan, while detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the baby’s disappearance and determine whether more people were involved.
The rescued child has been placed in protective custody and will be reunited with his biological family after the completion of the necessary verification and documentation procedures. Both suspects remain in police custody as investigations continue, with authorities working to uncover the full extent of the alleged child trafficking plot. Jigawa State Commissioner of Police, Tijjani Murtala, commended the officers involved in the operation for their swift response and professionalism, while urging residents to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to help combat crime across the state.
