A security expert, Mr Christopher Oji, has linked the increasing cases of newborn babies’ abandonment by unknown women to stigma and hardship.
Oji made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
NAN reports that in the past few months, the Police Command in Lagos State rescued many abandoned babies by unknown persons, including a day-old baby dumped in a sewage tank in Gowon Estate area of the state.
A day-old baby was also abandoned on Alhaji Masha Road, Surulere, inside a polythene bag.
The police again rescued a newborn baby abandoned under a parked bus in Ketu area of the state, after the infant’s persistent crying attracted public attention.
Oji, also the former President of Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN), said that the problem of dumping of babies can also be associated with unwanted pregnancies, mostly by teenagers.
He added that “the fear of stigmatisation of getting pregnant out of wedlock is likely to push some ladies to throw their babies.
“There is also the issue of hardship in the land, people that are working are crying of high cost of living, let alone a teenager with no means to fend for herself, she will be forced to abandon a baby after delivery.”
According to him, other factors that can force women to commit such act include rape, lack of emotional support from family, rejection or denial by lover.
He said that “in some cases, people who indulge in this act are often abandoned or rejected by lovers.
“Some were raped by unknown men, which resulted to pregnancy.
“Some girls could also be threatened or chased away by parents after getting pregnant out of wedlock, forcing them to find a way of disposing the baby after birth.”
He said that some children who were abandoned in dangerous locations died due to exposure to harsh conditions, while some were maimed.
He narrated that “I visited a motherless baby home and saw a child that was abandoned on a refuse dump and unfortunately, a pig ate the hand before he was rescued, the child is handicappped now.
“Some even throw the babies into pit toilet, forgetting that every child has right to live, the Bible and the Qur’an condemn it, ‘thou shall not kill’.
“Stop throwing away children, some of them may be future governors, presidents, senators, doctors among others,” he warned.
He also appealed to men to “desist from sleeping with women unprotected if they cannot take responsibilities.”
Oji urged government to raise awareness through public education campaigns, stressing that “it is time the National Orientation Agency (NOA) steps up social welfare programmes to sensitise the public on negative effects of the act.
“Government can provide more safe homes for abandoned children, making it easier for people to give up their children without fear.”
He also urged parents to educate their children about sex and sexuality, and to love, accommodate and support their pregnant teenagers, while counselling and warning them about the effects of such act.
