Ekwok is one woman who has shared a terrible experience, claiming that the doctor who stole her newborn baby during child birth later owned up to the act and also apologized. The atrocity was committed in one of the private clinics in Cross River State.
Ekwok told of the experience in a media interview, describing that she went into labor and was taken to the hospital to deliver. After the child was delivered, the hospital told her the baby had not survived—but she soon discovered this to be an untruth.
Months after, Ekwok disclosed that the doctor confessed to her in private, admitting that the child had been taken and was not dead. The doctor apologized, explaining he was under stress and made a mistake, she said.
Cases of baby snatching in Nigerian health facilities have taken center stage in the news recently. In 2020, nurses and hospital workers were arrested in the South-East for operating unauthorized baby markets. The targets are primarily vulnerable women or young mothers who are told that their babies are born still.
Ekwok said that she suffered the ordeal for years and gathered enough courage to report after hearing about the same experiences. She called upon the government and security agencies to investigate such clinics and hospitals.
She added that her family tried to file the case with the authorities but it was dismissed for lack of evidence then. Now that the physician has confessed, she is seeking justice and the return of her child—if indeed alive.
Human rights groups have taken an interest in her situation and are calling for a proper investigation. They argue that her case is likely one of a number which were covered up or swept under the carpet.
Overall, Ekwok’s story demands tighter checks in Nigeria’s healthcare system. Her demand for justice is not just for her child—it’s in terms of protecting other mothers from suffering the same horror.
