A newborn was recently discovered abandoned in Jikoko village, situated in the Mpape area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to reports, the infant was found wrapped in cloth and placed inside a carton, which had been left along a bush path near a local poultry farm.
A resident of the area, who gave his name as Aliyu, shared the community’s reaction during an interview on Saturday, stating, “We woke up to the shocking sight of a newborn left in a carton by the roadside.”
He added that the authorities were quickly alerted and that the baby was taken to a health centre for immediate medical care.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, said an investigation is underway to identify the child’s mother. “The baby is now in the custody of the social welfare department,” she noted.
This incident adds to a troubling pattern in the Mpape area. In a separate case from January 2025, another infant was found abandoned near Crush Rock, behind the uncompleted Red Bricks Market. The child’s mother was later apprehended and confessed that financial hardship led her to abandon the baby.
In December 2024, the FCT Police Command raised concerns over the growing number of abandoned infants across Abuja, highlighting the urgency of addressing the root causes of such cases.
