17-year-old girl claims ownership of abandoned day-old baby in Lafia

The Nasarawa State Police Command, on Thursday said the mother of a day-old baby, abandoned along the road in Lafia, had submitted herself to the police.

The command’s spokesman, DSP Kennedy Idrisu said the 17-year-old mother reported herself to the ‘A’ Division in Lafia.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the girl, who hails from Doma, abandoned the baby along Shendam road in Lafia on Tuesday.

Idrisu said investigation revealed that the girl, who hawks groundnut and other wares, was impregnated by a yet to be identified man at a construction site in Doma.

According to the police spokesman, the parents of the girl did not handle the matter properly, as they chased the girl away when they discovered she was pregnant.

“She said the man responsible for her pregnancy is married, she could not face him to accept his responsibility and had to go to a women at Mararaba Akunza, Lafia, who took her in because of her condition.”

He added that when the girl became restless on Monday, and told her care giver that she wanted to go back to Doma, the woman gave her N2,000 for transport.

Idrisu said the girl claimed that she delivered the baby at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia on Monday and was discharged Tuesday.

The police spokesman added that the girl said she abandoned the baby out of frustration.

Idrisu said the girl had been reunited with her baby, and investigations were on to determine the veracity of her claims and fish out the man allegedly responsible for the pregnancy.

He advised parents to closely monitor their children, to guard them against any form of abuse.