From Ahmed Muhammed Danasabe, Lokoja
Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested a woman in Lokoja, Kogi State, for dumping her newborn baby into a gutter.
Her arrest follows a report of the incident by some residents of the Karaworo area of Lokoja, where the baby was discovered.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday, promptly attracted the attention of the NSCDC operatives, who retrieved the baby from the gutter and took him to a hospital.
A few days later, operatives received a tip from another woman, which eventually led to the arrest of the mother of the baby, who is simply identified as Barikisu Sulaiman.
Barikisu was said to have been impregnated by a man she was dating when her husband fell critically for a long period. The baby is the product of the fling between Barikisu and her man friend.
“The woman had been dating a man in the Adankolo area after her husband became ill, and following a tip-off from her close friend, she was apprehended, ” a source said.
Barikisu’s friend was said to have informed an elderly man in the community after becoming distressed by the sight of the abandoned baby.
The friend had told the elderly man that Barikisu had previously confided in her about being seven months pregnant for one of her husband’s boys, identified as Angulu Namama, who is now at large.
When confronted, Barikisu confessed to dumping her one-day-old baby into the gutter after delivering him at home.
“I cheated on my sick husband. I loved my child,” Barikisu said.
Recall that the baby boy was on Sunday discovered inside a gutter near Kutepa Juma’at Mosque in Karaworo.
The baby is in good health condition as of the time of this report.
The Commandant of the NSCDC in Kogi State, Mr. Paul Igwebuike, confirmed that Barikisu is in their custody.
He said: “The woman was handed over to my command by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Kogi State.
“The crime of the woman is that she had been married to another man, with whom she has six children.
“The man suffered a spinal cord injury, which has rendered him invalid.
“Unfortunately, she became pregnant out of wedlock.
“She later threw her baby from upstairs due to the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy.
“We are keeping her in custody as NSCDC is collaborating with the Ministry of Women Affairs to ensure sanity in our state.”
