In a statement issued by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, on Sunday, the baby was found abandoned along a bush path near Crush Rock, behind an uncompleted Red Bricks Market in Mpape.
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested Khadija Ali for abandoning her one-day-old baby.
In a statement issued by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, on Sunday, the baby was found abandoned along a bush path near Crush Rock, behind an uncompleted Red Bricks Market in Mpape.
“The child was promptly rescued and taken to Mpape Primary Health Care Center, where medical evaluation confirmed the baby is in stable condition,” the statement read.
The discovery followed a distress call received on Friday at about 10:00 am. Police operatives from the Mpape Division’s Juvenile and Women Care Section (JWC) found the baby wrapped in cloth.
“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 statement added.
The Command condemned the act and reassured the public of its commitment to safeguarding vulnerable individuals.
“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,” it said.
The Command expressed gratitude to the public for their cooperation and encouraged residents to report emergencies through the Command’s emergency lines.