Gombe Police Rescue Abandoned Infants, Arrest Teenagers for Alleged Rape

The Gombe State Police Command says it has recorded significant breakthroughs in its fight against crime, with the rescue of two abandoned infants and the arrest of two teenage suspects for alleged rape.

In a statement on Friday, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, reiterated the police’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property while urging residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

Abdullahi disclosed that on September 15, 2025, the Command rescued a three-month-old baby who had allegedly been given away by her mother, 20-year-old Fatima Abdullahi of Damaturu, Yobe State, in connivance with one Adama Ibrahim.

The baby was handed over to one Fatima Haruna of Liji Quarters, Gombe, who later fled with the child. Acting on intelligence, operatives tracked and arrested the suspects at the Trailer Park in Tumfure, Akko Local Government Area. The case is under investigation, and the suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion, the police said.

In a separate incident, the Command recovered a newborn baby boy who had been abandoned in a carton. DSP Abdullahi explained that a tricycle rider, Auwal Abdullahi of Kwadon, brought the baby to the Gona Police Division on September 9, 2025.

According to him, an unidentified woman boarded Auwal’s tricycle from Madaki Quarters to BCGA Quarters, Gombe. At YD Filling Station Junction, she asked to withdraw money from a POS but never returned. Suspicious, the rider checked the carton she left behind and discovered a newborn inside.

The baby was immediately taken into safe custody before being handed over to the Gombe State Social Welfare Department. Investigations are ongoing to identify the woman.

The Command also confirmed the arrest of two 14-year-old herders, Danladi Babangida and Samaila Sulaiman, for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in Pindiga, Akko LGA, while she was fetching firewood.

“Following a complaint lodged on September 12, the suspects were arrested and confessed to the crime. The victim and suspects were taken to General Hospital, Kashere, for medical examination. The case is with the Gender Unit of the State CID for discreet investigation,” Abdullahi said.

He strongly condemned sexual violence, warning that perpetrators of such crimes would face the full wrath of the law.

Cases of child abandonment and sexual violence have become recurring concerns in Gombe and across parts of the North-East. In August 2024, police arrested a father and son in Gombe for allegedly defiling minors in their community. Earlier in April 2024, a woman was arrested in Abuja for abandoning her newborn due to financial hardship — a case that drew nationwide outrage and highlighted the rising socioeconomic pressures driving such acts.

DSP Abdullahi assured the public that the Command would sustain its efforts in protecting the vulnerable, calling on communities to promptly report suspicious activities for swift police intervention.