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Pakwach, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police in Pakwach district have rescued two stolen babies from two different health facilities, raising serious security concerns among law enforcement agencies and community leaders.
The concerns followed the second disappearance of a three-day-old baby girl, Sofia Nyamungu, from Pakwach Health Center IV under unclear circumstances. The incident occurred while the mother, who had delivered via cesarean section, was unconscious.
According to the police, the baby’s mother, 19-year-old Patricia Afoyorwoth, was admitted to Pakwach Health Center in Lubiri Cell B, Puvungu East, on December 5, 2024, for a cesarean section. Afterward, she was under medical care but later realized her baby was missing.
Patricia, along with the baby’s father, 29-year-old Jonathan Agenonga, both residents of Apararyio (12) Village in Wadelai Sub-county, Pakwach District, reported the disappearance to the police.
Police Public Relations Officer for West Nile Region, Asea Collins, said that on December 7, 2024, an unknown woman, later identified as Teddy Gipatho, reportedly entered the facility under the pretense of being pregnant and stayed near the baby’s bed.
On December 8, around 3:00 a.m., the baby was discovered missing, prompting the family to report the incident to the police at around 4:15 a.m. “Police visited the scene, documented evidence, and recorded statements. Shortly after, the baby was found alive, dumped in a cassava garden 2 kilometers outside Pakwach Town, in Pajobi North Cell, Pakwach Sub-county,” Asea said.
Pakwach District Police Liaison Officer Dominic Owinjuru stated that the suspect is being detained at Pakwach Police Cell after she confessed to stealing the baby girl because her boyfriend had been demanding a child for a long time.
Owinjuru added that this was the second such incident in the district, citing an earlier case at Panyimur Health Center III, where a baby was stolen but later rescued with the help of community members.
“People need to be more vigilant in maternity wards at health facilities. Visitors from different parts of the country, including some sex workers who deceive their lovers into thinking they are pregnant, may be targeting babies for theft,” Owinjuru said.
Akumu Charity, a resident of Amor East, called for tighter security at health facilities to prevent baby theft and urged relatives to always be present in labor wards to monitor the safety of newborns.
“It pains us mothers who go through nine months of labor, only for our babies to be stolen in a day. The suspect must be sentenced to no less than 10 years in prison, if I may advocate for that,” Akumu said.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have vowed to enhance security measures at health facilities across the district.
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