By Tina Amanda
A dead newborn baby was discovered inside a manhole on Ekwe/Ikwerre Road, Mile 3 Diobu, in the Port Harcourt local government area, on Tuesday 23 July 2024.
Members of the Diobu vigilante group found the one-day-old male infant. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In an interview with our Correspondent, the Chief Security Officer of Nkpolu Orowurokwo, Godstime Ihunwo, narrated that the dead baby was discovered in the early hours while on patrol.
“In the early hours of 23 July 2024 at about 5:am, my team was on patrol. On getting to Ikwerre Road/Ekwe Street Mile 3 Diobu, Port Harcourt, We discovered that a newborn baby was dumped into a Manhole.
“We discovered that the baby was dead. It was a male. I quickly rushed down to Nkpolu Police Division to make an entry, I also contacted, Prince Wiro, who is a human rights activist”.
In the meantime, the National Coordinator of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection And Accountability Campaign, Prince Wiro, has condemned the action of the unidentified mother describing it as the height of wickedness.
Mr Wiro said “It is sad that before the vigilance group discovered the infant male he was already dead.
“The action of the mother of the child is a crime that is punishable under the Nigeria law.
“We use this opportunity to urge residents who may have useful information about the identity of the child’s mother to report to the Police for necessary action”.
Meanwhile, the Spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe Koko, has confirmed the incident.
She said the Police had contacted the relevant agency for possible evacuation of the dead body while the investigation is ongoing.
SP Koko urged residents with useful information on who may have dumped the baby to report to the nearest Police Division.
