Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are raising concerns over the increasing cases of mothers abandoning their babies, especially the newborns.
Most of the residents are calling on the FCT Administration, the police, religious leaders as well as other stakeholders to wade in, to check the rise in the troubling trend.
Abuja Metro reports that of recent not less than five cases were reported in Gwagwalada, Bwari and Kuje area councils.
Worried by the development, the FCT police command on Sunday, expressed concerns over such incidents, warning unprepared men to either abstain from sex or use protective items.
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Early Wednesday morning, a yet-to- be-identified woman reportedly dumped her newborn baby at a refuse site behind the mini campus of the University of Abuja, opposite Customs College in Gwagwalada.
A resident of the area, Fredrick Emmanuel, said the baby, which is about a week old, was found covered with a cloth at the refuse site.
He said it was the cry of the baby that attracted a neighbour, who went to dump refuse at the site and he quickly raised an alarm.
He said, “At about 7 am this morning (yesterday), a resident who went to dump refuse where refuse collectors usually come to pick them, found a baby covered with clothes and raised an alarm.”
According to him, the discovery of the baby attracted the attention of some passers-by and residents living around the area rushed to the scene to have a glimpse of the baby.
He said two female staff of the social welfare department of the area council came to evacuate the baby to one of the motherless homes in the area.
Abuja Metro also learnt that a similar incident happened two weeks ago, when another new born baby was reportedly abandoned inside an uncompleted building around new Kutunku in same Gwagwalada.
Similar incident was also reported in Kubwa in Bwari Area Council last week while another incident was also reported in Gwarinpa.
The spokeswoman of the command, Josephine Ade, a superintendent, also confirmed that two new incidents were recorded on Saturday. She did not however give details of where the incident happened.
The command’s PPRO attributed the incidents to men abandoning women after impregnating them.
She said, “The increasing number of abandoned babies in the FCT is alarming. Just yesterday (last Saturday), two new cases were reported. This troubling trend is largely due to men abandoning women after impregnating them. If you are not prepared to take responsibility for fatherhood, avoid unprotected sex or abstain from it.’’
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