It was not a usual sight on Wednesday at Eruda in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State. Residents of the area woke up to glimpse an un-clad fresh baby boy by the bank of a popular river in the area.
The baby boy suspected to have been abandoned by her unknown person, suspected to be his mum, was found dead. He was discovered by a resident of the area early in the morning. The resident raised the alarm, which drew the attention of other community members to the scene.
The woman, who simply identified herself as Iya Ruka, said the baby could have been dumped alive but died later due to the excess cold and bad odour he inhaled at the river bank..
She said when the residents discovered the toddler, the police were contacted to evacuate it but when they arrived the scene and met the baby dead, they left the scene without any action.
This, she said, made some good Samaritans in the area to cover the remains of the baby with leaves as nobody could summon the courage to bury it since the law enforcement agents who were contacted left without doing anything.
“I felt so sad sighting the baby boy Wednesday morning as I arrived my shop where I sew clothes but could not do a thing throughout the day. Everybody who saw the new-born did not stop cursing the would-be mother.
“When the baby was discovered dead which I think could be as a result of cold weather and odour the baby was exposed to, the residents contacted the police to evacuate his remains. But to my surprise, the police came but did not touch the baby. They left the scene without doing anything.” she said.
“The baby was dumped here in the wee hours of the day because it was not there yesterday night because this is where people defecate and dump their wastes.
“We woke up and discovered the dead baby and raised the alarm and the whole community gathered at the place. The community later contacted the police,” he said.
“I rushed to the place to see for myself and immediately we reported the case to “B” Divisional Police Station, Surulere, Ilorin, Kwara State. They came and promised to contact Ilorin West Local Government Health Workers to evacuate the remains of the baby. But since then we have not seen them,” he added.
