A mentally-ill woman has given birth to a baby girl by the roadside in Kwaita village, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A resident, Saidu Musa, said the woman was discovered in the early hours of Saturday, around 12:30 a.m., after she had given birth unaided.
According to him, a neighbour who noticed the woman known to often stay by the roadside raised the alarm.
“It was my neighbour who first saw her. She usually stays around the road. When he realised she had delivered a baby, he immediately alerted the police patrol team,” Musa said.
He added that the police promptly evacuated the mother and her newborn to the General Hospital in Kwali for medical attention.
The spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the incident in a statement. She said the command received a report at about 12:30 a.m. from officers of the Rapid Response Squad on patrol that an unidentified mentally ill woman had delivered a baby along the roadside in Kwaita village.
Adeh said upon receiving the report, the officer in charge of the Gender Unit, Kwali Division, and her team swiftly mobilised to the scene.
“The mother and her newborn were safely rescued and immediately conveyed to General Hospital, Kwali, where they received medical attention and were subsequently discharged in stable condition,” she said.
She further explained that, in line with welfare procedures, the Welfare Officer of Kwali Area Council, Mr. Sadiq Kwali, was contacted, adding that the mother and child were later transferred to the FCT Children’s Home in Gwako, Gwagwalada Area Council, for proper care and support.
Adeh added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Mohammed Sanusi, commended the swift response of the officers, noting that they demonstrated compassion and professionalism in ensuring the safety of both mother and child before the arrival of the Gender Unit.
