Police arrest woman for dumping one-day-old baby in Abuja market

Police operatives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have arrested a woman identified as Khadijat Ali for allegedly abandoning her one-day-old baby in a market in the Mpape area of the city.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh said in a statement on Sunday that police operatives discovered the baby along a bush path near Crush Rock behind an uncompleted Red Bricks Market in Mpape.

She said the discovery of the baby followed a distress call to police operatives from Mpape Division’s Juvenile and Women Care Section (JWC) who found the baby wrapped in a cloth.

Adeh said: “On 03 January 2025, at about 10:00 a.m., police operatives from Mpape Division’s Juvenile and Women Care Section (JWC) 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 Center, where medical evaluation confirmed the baby is in stable condition.

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“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.

“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.

“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 (CRA) 2003 upon the conclusion of investigations.

“The Command appreciates the cooperation and support of members of the public in this matter and called on all residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities or emergencies via the Command emergency lines.”

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