Nurse accused of stealing a new born baby opens up

My name is Chinwendu Okafor, am from Igboukwu in Aguata local government area of Anambra State .

I am an Auxiliary Nurse working with Mother of Mercy Maternity. On Saturday 16th of May 2020, a woman in labor came to our hospital, MOTHER OF MERCY MATERNITY to give birth, her case turned out to be cesarean operation. Her husband Mr UCHE signed the authorization paper for her to be operated on.

Honestly before the operation was concluded and the baby was brought out it was war. So after the baby came out, the breathing pattern changed, the baby was breathing like an asthma patient , so we used drug on the baby to calm the baby down but all our effort was in vain.

So the placenta was cut and the Matron and owner of the hospital told me to carry the baby along with the father and a relative to INFANT JESUS HOSPITAL, which along Tarzan road. So we drove with the mans car to the hospital. when we got there the two nurses that were on duty chased me back to stand outside the gate ,so I told her to attend to the baby that the child is not breathing well and she said yes that I should sit outside with the father and sister.

After we sat down the two nurses came and examined the baby and they tried calling their Doctor but told us that there is no network. The baby father said that he cannot take such from them that his baby is going to die if care is not taken that we should go to another hospital.

We entered his car to another hospital in the area, on getting to the place he told us to get down that we should cross the main road let him pack his car well and catch up with us. I carried the baby and crossed the road , looked back I did not see his sister who came down from the car with me.

I became worried while I waited to see if she will appear , while I was still carrying the baby, some passersby and people that was selling fruits around that Obodoukwu area, opposite Tarzan started asking me nurse who owns that child that you are carrying and I told them that the baby Aunt came down from the car with me and that is her that am looking for now that the baby needs urgent medical medical attention.

I told them that the father of the baby was going to come soon that we were on our way to the hospital and they said that I was lying .
Before I know it people started gathering and shouting that I stole a baby. Those that are with phones started making video of me while I cried for help. They accused me of stealing the baby, I told them that I am a nurse from MOTHER OF MERCY MARTERNITY. They did not believe me and they rushed and called a Police woman who came to the scene and asked me what happened.

The next thing the policewoman said was that I should close my mouth, that I will follow her to the police station, Okpoko, immediately the father of the baby arrived the scene and asked what was the matter, he pushed the officer away and told them that the baby is his own.

The policewoman and two other officers insisted that I and the father must go to police station despite explaining to them hoe urgent the baby needed oxygen.
They called KEKE and asked me to enter with the baby because the mans car could not start.
They took me to Okpoko Police Station at Owerri road, I pleaded with them to follow me so we can take the baby to the hospital but they refused until one of them came out and saw that it was really a new born baby with blood all over the body and ordered that the baby be taken to hospital.
The father of the baby was crying like a baby, pleading with the policewoman that his wife who delivered the child was at the hospital as she gave birth through operation, rather the officers collected his phone from him.

We later went took the baby to GOODNEWS HOSPITAL with the police.
When we got there, the medical Doctor came out and asked the nurses on duty to put drip and check if it will pass, the nurse did and blood was not coming out from the vein.
The doctor came out again and tell them to stop that the baby is dead, so I started crying and calling on the policewoman to see what she has done.

I cried and blamed the policewoman for not allowing us take the baby to the hospital on time. I told her that she would have handcuffed me and take save the child first then get me arrested if she finds out I stole the baby.
The policewoman started consoling me and the father. It was then that they dropped us back to the junction where we took Keke to my hospital with the dead baby. I narrated my experience and ordeal to the Matron , and the Doctor who confirmed that the delay was what killed the baby.

The hospital and the husband, Mr Uche could not tell the mother of the child that her baby was dead as was still in a critical condition but curious to see her new born baby.
Few minutes later , calls started coming into my phone and that of my mother who was at home , that they saw a video of me on the Social Media where I was apprehended for stealing a baby, the news got me devastated as I cried out to God but it was rather late as more calls from family and friends kept coming.

I summoned courage and opened my Facebook, behold the video of me carrying the baby was already trending with comments.
The man and his wife are from Imo State but lives in Anambra state and this was their second delivery in our hospital.
I showed the Midwife and nurses the video as I could not hold back tears.
My hands are clean, I did not steal any baby.

The midwife and owner of our hospital gave me the baby to transfer to another hospital for them to put oxygen, that was how I saw myself on the internet that I stole a baby.
The midwife of the hospital is alive, the parent of the child is also alive.

The father of the baby, Mr Uchenna Ugwuogo who hails from Nsuka , Enugu state, while expressing displeasure over the attitude of the police woman confirmed that the child was never stolen by Nurse Chinwendu.
” if not for the delay caused by that police officer, my baby wouldn’t have died, i and my wife are really in pains but i also pity the Innocent Nurse who they almost killed. I expected the policewoman to rescue her when she got there but rather she insisted we must follow her to the station. “