Police in Ogun State have arrested a 30-year-old woman, Risikat Olabintan, for throwing her one-day-old baby into a soak-away pit.
Her arrest followed a distress call received by members of Ibukun Oluwapo Community, Ishaga, Surulere area in Owode-Yewa Local Government Area that some children, who were playing at the backyard of their compound heard the cry of a baby in the soak-away pit.
A statement by the spokesman of Ogun State Police command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, Thursday said, “on receiving the information, the DPO Owode-Yewa, quickly led team of policemen to the scene where the baby was rescued with the assistance of members of the public.
“Investigation later revealed that it was the said Risikat Olabintan who gave birth secretly to the baby and threw it inside the soak-away as early as 5am of that day, hence she was apprehended.
“On interrogation, she confessed that she actually gave birth to the baby, which is the sixth of her children and that she has no means of feeding them all since her husband has absconded to an unknown destination for some time now.”
Oyeyemi said “both the baby and the mother are presently in the hospital for medical attention and the baby is responding positively to treatment.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Imohimi Edgal, has directed that the case be transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the State Investigation and Intelligence Department for proper investigation.