7 abandoned babies found in FCT in 1 month
There have been growing concerns among residents of some communities in the FCT area councils over cases of abandoned newborns. From July 29 to August 29, at least seven cases were reported mostly in Abaji and Kuje area councils. According to our findings, four cases were recorded in Abaji while three were recorded in Kuje […]
The stream where a baby’s corpse was found on Tuesday in Abaji
There have been growing concerns among residents of some communities in the FCT area councils over cases of abandoned newborns.
From July 29 to August 29, at least seven cases were reported mostly in Abaji and Kuje area councils.
According to our findings, four cases were recorded in Abaji while three were recorded in Kuje within the period.
Abuja Metro reports that most of them were found dead.
On Tuesday a dead newborn was reportedlyfound in the popular Ukya River in Abaji Area Council.
A resident who lives near the stream, Hussaini Liman, said the baby’s body was discovered on Tuesday around 7:12 am under a bamboo tree at the stream.
He said that some women who went to wash clothes at the stream found the corpse and immediately raised an alarm, which attracted residents.
Liman said hesuspected the baby was dumped in the stream by an unidentified woman.
The corpse has since been recovered and buried in the area.
“Upon the discovery of the corpse, officials from the council’s Environmental and Sanitation department were immediately alerted. They came, evacuated the corpse, and buried it,” he said.
Ibrahim Salihu, an official with the council’s environmental department, confirmed the discovery.
He noted that the body was already decomposing and had been buried in the area.
“The police were also alerted. They came to the scene and took photographs of the corpse before it was evacuated and buried,” he said.
A police source, who requested anonymity, also confirmed the discovery of the baby’s corpse, stating that investigations are ongoing to trace the woman who abandoned the child at the stream.
Earlier, last week, the body of a newborn baby was found floating at Unguwar Abattoir after a heavy downpour in the Abaji Area Council of the FCT.
Residents who spoke with Abuja Metro said the lifeless body was discovered at an erosion site behind a slaughterhouse in the area.
Mrs. Amina Yakubu, a resident of Abattoir, said she suspected the baby was dumped by an unidentified woman.
“I discovered the baby floating and quickly raised an alarm,” she said.
Upon her discovery, some neighbours quickly mobilized and followed the floating baby until its body was found wedged under a large log of wood.
“You know there is a big erosion site behind the slaughterhouse where I and some other neighbours always dump refuse. It was on Sunday evening, while it was raining heavily, that I discovered a baby covered with a cloth floating and quickly raised an alarm,” she said.
She explained that three young men later summoned the courage to enter the flood and retrieve the baby.
Two vigilante members who live nearby were then alerted and came to the scene.
An official from the environmental department, who was identified only as Danjuma, confirmed the discovery of the baby’s body, stating that it had been taken to the hospital morgue in the area.
He said security operatives had been informed of the discovery and advised that the body should be kept at the mortuary until the woman is identified and the body can be properly buried.
“The police suggested that the body should be kept at the mortuary. If the unidentified woman is found, the body will then be buried,” he said.
Also, a similar incident occurred two months ago when the body of another newborn baby was reportedly found in a bush near the bypass around the general hospital in the area.
A police source, who preferred anonymity, had confirmed the discovery of the baby’s body.
And from Kuje Area Council, a newborn baby was in July found inside an uncompleted building in the Pegi community.
It was suspected that the baby was abandoned by a yet-to-be-identified woman.
A resident of the community, Jacob Barnabas, said the baby was discovered by another resident who went into the building.
He said the resident heard a baby crying and, upon investigation, found the newborn wrapped in a piece of cloth.
The resident then alerted his neighbours, who rushed to the building and confirmed the discovery. According to Barnabas, the neighbours immediately contacted vigilantes and security operatives, who transported the baby to Kuje General Hospital.
Emma Daniel, a member of the vigilante group, confirmed the discovery. He said the baby was later taken to a motherless babies’ home, as directed by a community elder.
Daniel also told Abuja Metro that a similar incident occurred just last month when a newborn baby was found at a refuse dump site in the Kuchiako area of the council.
“This incident of dumping a newborn baby has become so rampant,” he said.
“A similar incident happened last month when a newborn baby was also dumped at a refuse site around the Kuchiakwo area. Up until now, we have yet to identify the baby’s mother.”
He added, “The same thing also happened in Shadadi, where another baby was foundabandoned at a refuse site.”