The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has raised concern over the increasing cases of newborn babies being abandoned in various communities across the territory.
The command said a newborn baby boy was recently found abandoned at an uncompleted building in the Kurudu area of Abuja.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the FCT Command, SP Josephine Ade, disclosed this while presenting the rescued baby to officials of the FCT Child Development Department for protective custody.
Ade said the latest incident occurred barely two days after another newborn baby girl was abandoned in Gwagwalada.
She said similar cases had also been recorded in Durumi, Gwagwalada and other communities within the FCT.
“This newborn baby I have in my hands was abandoned by the mother, whom we do not know, at an uncompleted building in Kurudu. He is a baby boy.”
The police spokesperson expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the abandonment of the infants and called for investigations and increased sensitisation to address the problem.
“The issue is, who are these women? What is the problem? Why are they abandoning these infants? What is the story behind it?”
Ade said the police would continue its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the latest incident while working with social welfare authorities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child.
The Chief Social Worker and Officer with the FCT Child Development Department, Sulieman Lawan, described child abandonment as a growing social problem in the territory.
Lawan attributed some cases to the vulnerability of young people who migrate to the Federal Capital Territory without stable means of livelihood, making some susceptible to exploitation and unwanted pregnancies.
He said some young women who become pregnant without financial support may resort to abandoning their babies because they lack the resources to care for them.
“A lot of people, especially young kids, are moving to FCT and Abuja without having what to do. Some of them will just go and stay with somebody who can easily take advantage of them, impregnate them, and the person may even run.”
He called for increased sensitisation among young people on responsible sexual behaviour and urged women facing unwanted pregnancies or financial difficulties not to abandon their children.
“We advise them not to abandon their children. There are other ways to seek help rather than abandoning a baby.”
Lawan said the rescued baby would be taken into protective custody under the FCT Child Development Department.
According to him, the child would first undergo medical examination at a hospital before being kept in protective care for between three and six months.
He explained that if no person came forward to claim the child within the stipulated period, the authorities could begin the process of making the child eligible for custody by prospective caregivers, subject to relevant procedures.
The police said investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abandonment would continue, while further sensitisation efforts would be undertaken to discourage the practice across communities in the FCT.
