The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested a woman for allegedly abandoning her newborn baby in a bush in Akwanga Local Government Area of the state.
The baby, wrapped in a piece of cloth, was discovered near a primary school on AA Koto Street, Akwanga, on Wednesday. Residents who found the infant alive immediately alerted the police.
Confirming the development in Lafia on Thursday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ramhan Nansel, said the Commissioner of Police had ordered the case transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for thorough investigation and prosecution.
“The mother of the baby has been identified and arrested. The Commissioner of Police has ordered the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Lafia, for further investigation and prosecution,” Nansel stated.
Our correspondent gathered that the suspect is a final-year NCE student of the College of Education, Akwanga.
The incident has sparked outrage in the community, with many residents expressing shock and anger over the abandonment.
Cases of child abandonment have continued to make headlines across Nigeria. In July, a farmer in Kamba town, Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State, rescued a newborn baby girl buried alive on his farmland.
The farmer, Kabiru Kamba, said he noticed an unusual ridge and invited motorcyclists to help dig. To their astonishment, they discovered the baby crying, wrapped in a cloth, and still alive.
Security operatives were alerted, and the infant was later placed in the farmer’s custody by the Dandi Local Government Council. Out of compassion, Kamba and his wife, who had recently given birth, took in the baby and organised her naming ceremony.
Such recurring cases have fueled concerns about the rising trend of child abandonment in the country, with many calling for stronger social welfare systems and awareness campaigns to curb the menace.
Leave a Reply