Mother Arrested After Abandoning Child Due To Hardship

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested a woman, Khadija Ali, for allegedly abandoning her newborn baby in Mpape, Abuja.

Ali reportedly left the baby along a bush path near Crush Rock, behind the uncompleted Red Bricks Market in Mpape.

The infant, believed to be just one day old, was discovered around 10 a.m. on January 3, 2025, after police operatives from the Mpape Division’s Juvenile and Women Care Section responded to a distress call.

According to a statement released by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the baby was found wrapped in cloth, rescued, and taken to the Mpape Primary Health Care Centre for medical attention.

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Medical personnel confirmed that the child was in stable condition.

Adeh stated, “On 3 January 2025, at about 10:00 a.m., police operatives from Mpape Division’s Juvenile and Women Care Section responded to a distress call and found the baby wrapped in a cloth.

“The child was promptly rescued and taken to Mpape Primary Health Care Centre, where medical evaluation confirmed the baby is in stable condition.”

The police later apprehended Khadija Ali after a tip-off from local residents.

During questioning, she confessed to abandoning her baby, citing her inability to care for the child following her husband’s abandonment.

Adeh further noted, “Following a tip-off from the community, the baby’s mother, Khadija Ali, was arrested. During interrogation, she confessed to abandoning the baby, citing her inability to care for the child following her husband’s abandonment.”

Condemning the act, Adeh described it as a grave violation of the child’s rights and emphasized the police’s commitment to protecting vulnerable members of society.

“The FCT Police Command vehemently condemns this act of child abandonment and reassures the public of its commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of society,” Adeh remarked.

She also confirmed that Ali would be prosecuted, stating, “The rescued baby will be handed over to the Department of Social Welfare for proper care, while the mother will face prosecution according to the provisions of Sections 14 and 16 of the Child Rights Act, 2003, upon the conclusion of investigations.”