The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested a final-year student of the College of Education, Akwanga, for allegedly dumping her newborn baby in a bush.
The baby, wrapped in cloth, was discovered alive on Wednesday near a primary school along AA Koto Street, Akwanga. Shocked residents immediately raised the alarm and informed the police.
Confirming the incident on Thursday in Lafia, Police Public Relations Officer SP Ramhan Nansel said the Commissioner of Police had directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for proper investigation.
“The mother of the baby has been identified and arrested. The Commissioner of Police has ordered the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Lafia, for thorough investigation and prosecution,” Nansel told journalists.
The development has triggered anger and disbelief among Akwanga residents, many of whom described the act as cruel and unacceptable.
This disturbing case adds to a growing trend of child abandonment across Nigeria. In July 2025, a farmer in Kamba town, Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State, rescued a baby girl who had been buried alive on his farmland.
The farmer, Kabiru Kamba, said he noticed an unusual ridge and called motorcyclists nearby to help dig. To their shock, they uncovered a crying newborn wrapped in cloth.
Kamba immediately reported to security operatives, and the Dandi Local Government Council later placed the child in his care. Out of compassion, he and his wife—who had also just given birth—took the infant in and began plans for her naming ceremony.
The rising number of such heartbreaking cases has raised alarm among security agencies and communities, with urgent calls for proactive steps to address the social and economic factors fueling child abandonment.
