5th January, 2025
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
The Police have recovered a day-old baby abandoned along a bush path near Crush Rock, behind an uncompleted Red Bricks Market in Mpape area of Abuja and also arrested the mother.
The abandoned baby was recovered on Friday, January 2025, at about 10:00 AM, Josehine Adeh, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command said in a statement on Sunday.
According to her, Police operatives from Mpape Division’s Juvenile and Women Care Section (JWC) recovered the baby after they responded to a distress call and found the baby wrapped in a cloth.
She said the child was promptly rescued and taken to Mpape Primary Health Care Center, where medical evaluation confirmed the baby is in stable condition.
Adeh added that a tip off from the community led to the arrest of the baby’s mother identified as Khadija Ali who was subsequently arrested.
“During interrogation, she confessed to abandoning the baby, citing her inability to care for the child following her husband’s abandonment,” Adeh said the mother gave as the reasons for abandoning her day old baby.
The Police spokesperson however said this will not stop the mother from being prosecuted for Abandoning her baby.
The FCT Police Command vehemently condemns this act of child abandonment and reassures the public of its commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of society.
“The rescued baby will be handed over to the Department of Social Welfare for proper care, while the mother will face prosecution according to the provisions of sections 14 and 16 of the Child Rights Act (CRA) 2003 upon the conclusion of investigations.
“The Command appreciates the cooperation and support of members of the public in this matter and calls on all residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities or emergencies via the Commands emergency lines: 08061581938, 08032003913, 08028940883, CRU: 08107314192, PCB: 09022222352′” Adeh concluded in the statement.
