President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed shock over the reported kidnapping of five newborn babies in Anambra State, directing that the rising crime rate in the areas be reduced without any delay.
The reported kidnapping occurred at Stanley Hospital, Nkpologwu in the state. The attackers picked the babies and zoomed off.
However, both the Anambra State Police Command and the Nkpologwu community in Aguata Local Government Area where the incident was said to have taken place dismissed the report of the abduction, saying it was a mere rumour.
In expressing his concern about the strange incident, President Buhari, through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this case must be solved immediately.
He directed that security at hospitals must be foolproof so that attacks of this nature do not happen again.
But speaking on the reported abduction on Friday, both the state police command and the community said there was nothing of such incident.
The Anambra State Police Command, in a statement by its Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ikenga Tochukwu, said that the command was not aware of any situation where four babies were stolen from any hospital in the state – not even in Nkpologwu.
The statement urged the general public to discountenance the information, and go about their normal businesses.
Also, the President General of Nkpologwu Progressive Union (NPU), Dr. Ferdinand Ezeiruka, described the news as a fallacy that has no basis.
According to him, “Such a thing did not happen in my community. Nkpologwu is a small town; any such thing that happens will spread quickly. So, it did not happen.
“Nkpologwu is a peaceful town; this kind of rumoured development does not happen here. The Medical Director of the said hospital is my friend. There is no way such a thing would happen without him relaying the information to me.”
Also, when contacted, the Chief Medical Director of the National Medical Centre, Nkpologwu, Dr. Stanley Izuehie, dismissed the report; and described it as the handwork of mischief makers, who do not wish the Nkpologwu community and the society well.
He, however, said that an incident happened two weeks ago when robbers came to the hospital, and snatched handsets from patients. He said that the robbers quickly ran away when they sighted security operatives advancing towards the hospital.
“This information making waves that armed robbers stormed the National Medical Centre and took four babies away is unfounded, untrue, and malicious,” he said.