Residents find newborn baby dead at refuse dump in Anambra

Residents of the area had expressed shock in the early hours of Sunday, June 2, 2024, when they found the body of the day-old baby wrapped in old clothes which is believed to have been used to carry it to the place.

Passersby in the area suspected that the baby must have been dumped alive apparently by its mother, who did not want it.

According to them, it was heard crying for several hours in the night before the bag was found in the morning.

The situation was said to have generated dust when a commercial tricycle operator, picking up passengers near the scene was almost lynched for nearly running over the bag, apparently unaware of its content.

It was gathered that it took the intervention of some security operatives in the area before normalcy returned to the scene, as people watched the development in dismay and disgust.

In a statement disclosing this development, Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Tochukwu Ikenga said preliminary investigations revealed that the baby was abandoned by an unidentified woman suspected to be the mother, adding that the body has been recovered.

Ikenga said, “Preliminary investigations revealed that the child should be a day old and was abandoned by a yet unidentified woman suspected to be the mother. Meanwhile, the body has been recovered and the Police are currently working with some eyewitness information at the scene for possible arrest of the perpetrator.”

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Nnaghe Itam ordered an immediate investigation into the situation.