Midwife Disappears With New Born Baby

A pregnant woman, whose name had yet to be disclosed, had been admitted to the clinic on Saturday in company with her mother-in-law.

A midwife in the Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun State, identified as Esther Matthew, has been held by the police for the disappearance of a new-born baby in her clinic.

The police are also investigating whether a dead baby found in the suspect’s facility on Sunday is the infant she allegedly absconded with.

Around 5pm, the midwife was said to have announced the arrival of the baby, and told the mother-in-law to go home and bring some baby things.

It was gathered that the mother-in-law left the clinic, but by the time the woman returned with the father of the infant, the baby was not found. 

They reportedly asked two nurses on the ground about the whereabouts of the woman and the baby, but were said to be prevaricating.

Our correspondent learnt that the man raised the alarm and reported the case at the Ifo Police Station. 

A woman, Abolore Adeyemi, who identified herself as a friend of the family and wrote about the incident on her Instagram page, stated that operatives from the division ransacked the clinic, but did not find the baby.

She wrote, “The nurses couldn’t account for the whereabouts of the newborn baby. The husband alerted the community chairman, elders, and youths and they went to the Ifo Police Station. Policemen visited the place of delivery and only found the placenta while one of the rooms was locked.”

Adeyemi said after several calls to the midwife’s line, she eventually spoke with the family on the telephone around 10pm and assured them that the baby was fine.

She stated that the search team waited for Matthew till 11.30pm and left the place when she did not show up, adding that the midwife came back the following day.

“We all went back to the hospital and in one of the rooms already searched, a dead baby was found, which the midwife claimed had been in the building since the previous day. She said the baby was dead at birth.

“The locked room was opened and money of different denominations was found. She also has a building construction going on at the back of the clinic. Elders within her community claimed that she came back to the clinic by 1am and showed them the dead baby. The dead body has been taken to a mortuary for autopsy. The wicked must not go unpunished,” Adeyemi added.

Efforts to speak with Adeyemi and the family for further details about the incident were unsuccessful. A message sent to the poster on Instagram had yet to be replied to as of press time.