A newborn who was rescued from a pit toilet in Otuocha, Anambra East Local Government Area of the State three days after birth, is dead.
Earlier, it was discovered that the mother of the male child, Nwaedoka Chidinma, a 20-year-old girl from Izzi, Ebonyi State, threw the newborn in the pit after birth.
The Anambra State’s Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, immediately directed that the newborn be taken to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital, Amaku, in Awka, for treatment when the report reached her.
However, efforts to resuscitate the baby, including the administration of oxygen and fluids with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, could not save the newborn.
A post on a Facebook page linked to the commissioner reads: “It is with sadness that we wish to inform the general public that we lost the newborn rescued from pit toilet in Otuocha few hours ago despite all efforts to resuscitate the baby, including administration of oxygen and fluids, with cardiopulmonary resuscitation by the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital Amaku Awka. May his soul rest in peace.”
Obinabo decried the rate at which young girls now commit crime and stated that the young mother won’t go unpunished.
READ ALSO: Delta Primary Health Center Closed Over Rape Of Female Student
She further noted that the Governor of Anambra State, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo has zero tolerance for such inhumane and dastardly acts and assured of seeing to the end of the case.
Earlier, Esther Omesi, a farmer and friend to Chidinma, alerted relevant authorities about the incident.
Omesi said she was staying at Chidinma’s place at the time it happened.
She reported that Chidinma started acting suspiciously on Sunday after she had notified her (Omesi) that she was having stomach upset and then went to the pit to ease herself.
She narrated that Chidimma took time and when she came out, there was dripping of blood which made her call a nurse that inspected her and revealed that the baby was gone.
Omesi said that she thought that Chidinma had a stillbirth, which is why she encouraged her to travel home to her parents and notify them of the development.
Revealing further on how it happened, Omesi said that they heard a baby’s cry on Tuesday morning and quickly used a ladder to rescue the newborn.