The Federal Capital Territory Police Command in Abuja has arrested a woman, Khadija Ali, for allegedly abandoning her newborn baby.
Ali reportedly dumped the baby along a bush path near Crush Rock, behind the uncompleted Red Bricks Market in Mpape, Abuja.
A statement released on Sunday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the development to newsmen.
Adeh said the a day old baby was discovered at about 10am on January 3, 2025 after police operatives from the Mpape Division’s Juvenile and Women Care Section responded to a distress call.
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According to her, the infant, wrapped in a cloth, was rescued and taken to the Mpape Primary Health Care Centre for medical evaluation.
She added that, following an examination, medical personnel confirmed the child was in stable condition.
The statement partly read, “On 3 January 2025, at about 10:00 a.m., police operatives from Mpape Division’s Juvenile and Women Care Section responded to a distress call and found the baby wrapped in a cloth.
“The child was promptly rescued and taken to Mpape Primary Health Care Centre, where medical evaluation confirmed the baby is in stable condition.”
Acting on a tip-off from concerned residents, the PPRO said the police apprehended Khadija Ali, who confessed to abandoning her baby.
“Following a tip-off from the community, the baby’s mother, Khadija Ali, was arrested. During interrogation, she confessed to abandoning the baby, citing her inability to care for the child following her husband’s abandonment,” Adeh said.
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Condemning the incident, Adeh described it as a grave violation of the rights of the child.
She added that Ali would be charged to court for allegedly violating Sections 14 and 16 of the Child Rights Act, 2003.
“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, 2003, upon the conclusion of investigations,” the statement added.