‘My father would beat us’ -15-year-old girl explains why dumped newborn baby by roadside in Otukpo

A 15-year-old girl identified as Favour has narrated how she abandoned her newborn baby by the roadside around Anmoda Road in Otukpo, Benue State, blaming fear of her father and family pressure for the incident.

The incident was brought to public attention by activist and humanitarian worker, Meddy Olotu, who led efforts to rescue the baby and trace the girl and her family.

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Favour made the revelation after she and her mother were tracked down following days of investigation into the abandonment of the baby, which was discovered in a bush near the Anmoda area during rainfall.

Speaking during questioning, the teenager said she decided to leave the child after allegedly being told that her father would react violently if the baby was brought home.

“Because my father would beat us if my mother carried the baby,” she said.

According to her, a commercial motorcyclist took her to the area where the baby was later abandoned.

“It was the bike man that took me there. I dropped the bag and left the baby there, then I took another bike and came back,” she explained.

Narrating how the baby was discovered, an eyewitness said residents heard cries coming from a nearby bush shortly after returning from church service.

“When she came back from church, she told us there was a baby crying inside the bush. She went there and saw the baby, then she called another woman who later called me,” the eyewitness narrated.

The woman said despite still mourning the death of her husband, she immediately rushed out to help save the child.

“My husband died less than one year ago, so I had been indoors. But when they called me, I ran there because the baby needed urgent care,” she said.

According to her, the first thing she did was to boil hot water and mobilise other women in the area to care for the baby before further help arrived.

Speaking while visiting the exact location where the child was abandoned, Meddy Olotu said the baby was discovered during rainfall around the Anmoda area.

“So right now, we are going to where they picked the child from when it was raining. This is where they dropped the child,” he said.

Meddy, who later visited the baby at the orphanage, expressed sadness over the incident and vowed to continue monitoring the welfare of the child.

“Guys, I came to see the baby. Very beautiful. The baby is so beautiful. She’s already with the orphanage,” he said.

“So from time to time, we’ll keep checking up on her. We need to look after this baby. I’ll keep coming from time to time to check up on her.”

The activist further used the incident to call for urgent sensitisation and sex education programmes in rural communities, warning that teenage pregnancies and child abandonment were becoming alarming.

“Please, we need to start sensitising our people at the grassroots level. We need to start teaching sex education in schools across these villages,” he said.

According to him, the situation at the police station during the investigation exposed a disturbing trend involving teenagers and unwanted pregnancies.

“Yesterday at the police station, different cases were brought in. I saw another teenage girl who got pregnant for a boy who is also a teenager. The police told me that throughout this week, it has just been pregnancy, pregnancy, pregnancy, denial, and teenagers,” he stated.

Meddy said the development left him emotionally devastated.

“I was sad. I was broken. It affected my mental health immediately,” he added.

He blamed the growing problem partly on poor parental supervision and lack of proper orientation for children, especially in rural communities.

“Our parents have a lot of work to do because the first sensitisation starts from the home. Some parents just leave their children to live anyhow,” he said.

The activist also disclosed that Favour had been living alone with two younger siblings in a rented apartment despite being just 15 years old.

“As small as that girl is, they rented a room and parlour for her and her younger siblings in Otukpo. They gave her too much freedom too early, so she felt she could take any decision on her own,” he stated.

According to him, the teenager only began to feel remorse after sustained questioning and pressure during the investigation.

“One of her siblings told me that when they questioned her after abandoning the baby, she initially asked, ‘What is their business? Why are they so concerned about the baby?’ It was later she started feeling remorseful,” he said.

Another resident described the rescued child as “very beautiful,” expressing sadness that such a baby could be abandoned in the rain.

The baby was later taken to an orphanage where she is currently receiving care.

Meddy Olotu described the incident as heartbreaking and said he became determined to uncover those behind the abandonment after seeing the baby.

“It was sad seeing that child there. Even when I went to the orphanage and saw the child, I felt bad,” he said.

“Since the day I found that little baby, I knew I had to get to the root of the matter. A beautiful child like that could not just be abandoned and left there.”

According to him, the matter was later reported to relevant authorities, including the police and civil protection officials, who commenced investigations into the incident.

The activist further disclosed that Favour was taken to a hospital for medical examination after it was discovered that her health condition had deteriorated.

“She needs blood. Her blood level is very low. She looked pale, as if she wanted to faint,” he said.

He added that Favour’s mother had been detained by authorities, while investigations into the matter were still ongoing.

Meddy Olotu, however, described the teenager as a victim of manipulation and pressure.

“She is a minor. There was a lot of pressure placed on her, and that led her to abandon the child,” he stated.

He also disclosed that the rescued baby is currently under care, while authorities are expected to determine the next line of action regarding the child after further investigations.