By Our Reporter
The Yobe State Police Command has arrested a woman and one other suspect following the alleged strangulation and killing of her newborn baby girl in Damaturu, the state capital.
In a statement released on Monday, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Dungus Abdulkarim, disclosed that the infant was allegedly strangled shortly after birth. The perpetrators then concealed her remains inside a box and dumped them behind a mosque in the Anguwar Boka area of Damaturu.
The breakthrough came after operatives of the command’s Violent Crime Response Unit received a distress call on Tuesday regarding the horrific killing and the subsequent concealment of the body.
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“Preliminary investigation revealed that a female suspect, who recently gave birth to the baby, was allegedly involved in an incident where the child was strangled and the remains concealed in a box before being abandoned behind a mosque at Anguwar Boka area of Damaturu,” Abdulkarim stated.
The PPRO confirmed that swift police action resulted in the immediate arrest of two suspects. “Following swift police action, two suspects were arrested and are currently assisting the investigation. The case remains under investigation as the Command continues to gather facts and ensure that justice is served,” he added.
Reacting to the development, the Yobe State Commissioner of Police, CP Usman Kanfani Jibrin, strongly condemned the incident, describing it as a “heinous and inhuman act.”
The Commissioner emphasized that every child has a fundamental right to life, protection, and dignity under the law, warning that the command will maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward the abuse of vulnerable individuals.
“Every human life is precious and must be protected. The command will not tolerate any act of violence against children or any vulnerable person, and anyone found responsible will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.”
The command further reiterated that anyone found culpable of violating the inherent rights of a child would face the full weight of the law.
This grim discovery comes just days after a similar child-related crime was averted in the southern part of the country. On June 19, operatives of the Anambra State Police Command successfully foiled an attempt by a 21-year-old woman to sell her newborn baby girl in Igbariam, Anambra East Local Government Area.
According to an Anambra police statement dated June 22, officers acted on credible intelligence to block the transaction, subsequently securing both the mother and the infant to reunite them with family members for proper care.
The back-to-back incidents have sparked renewed public concern across Nigeria regarding crimes targeting infants, prompting law enforcement agencies nationwide to reiterate their strict commitment to safeguarding children’s rights.
