New born baby kidnapped from labour room in Abia State

 Gunmen invaded the labour room of a maternity
home in Nkwoegwu, Ohuhu, in Umuahia North
LGA of Abia State and took away a new born
baby while nurses were battling to save the
mother from bleeding to death.
The baby, a boy, was still dripping with blood
when the evil men seized and folded him with
the bed sheet in which he was lying.
The mother, Mrs. Eberechi Ihezukwu, says she
still thinks that she is in one deep dream, which
she will wake up from. “I only heard the cry of
my baby and I asked the nurse its sex and she
told me that it was a baby boy. I have had three
girls for my husband and this is the first male
child. My heart was joyful as I felt that I have
got an identity in my husband’s house.
With the joy, I was happy that if the nurses
stopped the bleeding, its arrival would be a
consolation for my travails. “Now see what they
have done to me. My breasts are heavy with
milk; it is a burden I have refused to bear. They
should please bring back my baby to suck my
breasts. I refuse to believe that my baby has
gone; the God who put it in my womb for nine
months before its delivery will fish out the
perpetrators and my baby will be brought back
to me.
Peace will continue to elude those who have
taken it until they bring it back to me,” Mrs.
Ihezukwu prayed. Her husband, Clifford
Ihezukwu, a radio/television repairer, said what
was too much for him to understand was how
the police, who he reported the incident to
turned him into a suspect and locked him up in a
cell for two days (Tuesday to Thursday) until he
allegedly bailed himself with N15, 000.
“On Tuesday, November 13, 2012, at about
2pm, my wife who was already heavy with a
baby told me she was going to hospital (Our
Lady of Apostles, Nkwoegwu, Ohuhu, Umuahia
North LGA of Abia State) where she normally
puts to bed. Later, she phoned me, seeking for
my consent as the nurses wanted to give her hot
drip to help her deliver of the baby since during
her three previous pregnancies, there was no
time she was given such hot drip before she put
to bed. Instantly, I gave my consent if that
would be the solution to the problem.
I learnt that the drip was at about 6pm. By 7pm,
I went there to see her since it is within a short
distance from my home. When I got to the
maternity, I saw my wife’s sister rejoicing; she
told me that my wife had just put to bed. I
thanked God and told her to take charge while I
went back to check what I was cooking. I was
there when she rushed back to the house and
was shouting: “My stomach! My stomach!” I
asked her what was amiss and she told me that
gunmen invaded the maternity, kicked her in
the stomach after overpowering the security
man and collected everybody’s cell phones,
including that of my wife who was still inside
the labour room where the nurses were battling
to stop the bleeding after the delivery.
They dashed into the labour room, grabbed the
baby who was still dripping with blood and
dashed off. My wife was not yet conscious of
what was going on as she battled for survival
after the nurses had administered her with some
injection to stop the bleeding. So, I rushed to the
maternity. When I got there, the whole place
was locked; I went round knocking at the
windows until someone opened. When they
narrated how gunmen carried out their operation
and took my baby away, I took my wife and
went straight home.
"When I later came back to the maternity,
soldiers had besieged the arena. After asking
questions, the soldiers picked the five nurses
and I told them that my wife was still bleeding
and appealed to them to allow one nurse to
attend to her and they obliged me. After some
time, policemen came and asked us what
happened and I told them what transpired. Then,
they asked me to come to the station in the
morning and report the matter officially.
They asked me and I directed them to the home
of the owner of the maternity and they left. In
the morning, I was attending to my wife and
children when they came and asked me why I
had not come to the station as they directed me.
Then, I told them that I was still attending to my
wife and children and would soon be with them.
Shortly after, I went to Afugiri Police Station to
make an entry. On getting there, the policemen
who came to my house earlier were not present
so I waited for about four hours before they
came back as I was told that they went to
Umuosu, the home of the owner of the
maternity.
I told the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) what I
knew about the matter. When he asked why I
left the maternity I told him that I went to feed
my children and look after my wife who was still
down. After another two hours, I told them that I
was going to eat and see how my wife and
children were doing. As I was speaking with him,
he ordered that I should be kept behind the
counter. My brother who came with me had to
go and buy malt and snacks for me to eat
because I was already famished. “Then the
owner of the maternity, Mrs. Dan Mbakwe and
her husband came with my Sister- in-Law. About
4pm, I asked them what my offence was and
why I should not be allowed to go home and see
my family, but the policemen kept mute. After
some time, they started intimidating and telling
me that I was the number one suspect in the
case and that I would soon be taken to see the
Commissioner of Police and I said ok. “At about
5 pm, they brought out a Hilux van, put me, my
sister in-law, Mrs. Mbakwe and her husband and
the securityman at the hospital in it and took us
to the State CID headquarters. At the State CID, I
told them my story and they told me that it was
late for me to be released and that I would be
locked up till the next day.
They asked me to pull off my dress and then
hauled my sister and me in-law into cell. But
they kept Mrs. Mbakwe, her husband and the
securityman at the counter. Then they all left
and handed over to another set of policemen on
duty. “In the morning, just before people started
coming to work, they put us (the trio) into cell
for about an hour to look as if all of us had been
inside the cell all night. I then asked the
Investigating Police Officer (IPO) what my
offence was and he told me that no one had
come for me. He said that he had asked them to
bring N20, 000 for my bail. ‘Are you asking that
amount of money from some one who had been
passing through such a trauma?’ I asked the
man who came for me later – Chief Ukaobasi.
I told him to look into my trouser pocket at the
counter, maintaining that I had N8, 000 inside it.
He found the money intact, added N2, 000 to it
and paid the police with a promise to bring a
balance of N5, 000 if they released me. On
Thursday, they released me to go home. I then
borrowed N5, 000 from a neigbour and sent to
them to bring the total sum to N15, 000. But by I
pm on that Thursday, the owner of the hospital
and the security man were released. That is
what I’m passing through. “I wonder why I
should be made to go through this after my
baby had been kidnapped and my wife left at a
point of death.
“The name of the lady who signed my bail bond
is Chioma. I ran to the police to help me
because I had nobody and the police threw me
into cell and turned me into a suspect instead of
helping me to look for my stolen child. I am
calling on the relevant authorities to come to
my rescue. I have no one to fight for me,” he
lamented. When contacted on phone, the State
Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ambrose Aisabor,
who was shocked said he was not aware of the
matter.
“Where did this happen; I’m not aware of this
incident; I have to find out,” the CP replied.
When Daily Sun visited the maternity along
Nkwoegwu road in Ohuhu. It was under lock and
key. Daily Sun also visited the home of the
Mbakwes, owners of the maternity at Umuosu,
Okauga and did not find any body at home for
comments.
Source: Sunnewsonline.com