The police in
Ekiti State have arrested a couple, Mr. Dada Ojo and his wife, Adejoke, for
allegedly dumping their newborn baby inside a bush.
Our correspondent
learnt on Sunday that the woman and her husband were arrested on Friday.
A source in the
community said the cry of the baby in the bush attracted residents of the area,
who alerted officials of Ikere Local Government Area.
It was learnt that
Adejoke, 26, gave birth to the baby at home last Wednesday without anybody’s
assistance because she could neither afford hospital bills nor patronise the
local birth attendants.
She was said to
have dumped the baby inside a bush in Ikere-Ekiti where the couple lives.
The woman
reportedly blamed her action on poverty, saying the family was having great
difficulty raising the three children they already had before the arrival of
the new baby.
Ojo, a commercial
driver, reportedly told the police that his wife did not inform him of her
plan.
He claimed that he
returned home in the evening and observed that her wife had given birth and
asked her about the baby but she simply told him that the baby was dead.
The Police Public
Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Victor Babafemi, confirmed the arrest when
he was contacted.
He said that the
couple was arrested but added that the wife had since been released to the
Welfare Department of the state Ministry of Women Affairs where she and the
baby were being given treatment.
“The man is still
with us but the mother and child are being taken care of by the welfare
department. The authorities of Ikere Local Government Area and the ministry are
involved. They will take over the welfare of the baby,” Babafemi said.