By Ono Yima
The police in Nasarawa State have arrested a final-year student of the College of Education, Akwanga, for allegedly abandoning her newborn in a bush near a primary school on AA Koto Street, Akwanga.
The baby, wrapped in cloth, was discovered alive by residents who quickly alerted the police. Confirming the arrest on Thursday in Lafia, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ramhan Nansel, said the suspect is now in custody while the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for thorough investigation and prosecution.
“The mother of the baby has been identified and arrested. The Commissioner of Police has ordered the transfer of the case to the State CID, Lafia, for thorough investigation and prosecution,” Nansel said.
The incident has triggered outrage among residents, who expressed shock that a student mother could resort to such an act.
This disturbing case comes amid rising reports of teenage pregnancies and child abandonment across Nigeria, worsened by deepening economic hardship. In July, a farmer in Kamba town, Kebbi State, rescued a newborn who had been buried alive on his farmland. The baby, found crying under a ridge of soil, was later taken in by the farmer and his wife.
Experts say such cases highlight a growing national crisis. Teenage pregnancy, lack of reproductive health education, and economic desperation are increasingly pushing young women into difficult choices.
“Many young mothers are left with no family or institutional support,” said Dr. Halima Yusuf, a reproductive health advocate. “What we are seeing is not just personal failure but a reflection of poverty, ignorance, and a weak safety net for the most vulnerable.”
The National Population Commission estimates that nearly one in five Nigerian girls experiences pregnancy before age 19. With inflation eroding incomes and unemployment hitting families hard, many fear the incidence of abandoned babies will only rise.
Social workers have called on government and community leaders to step up interventions—through better access to contraception, counseling services, and financial support for struggling families.
As investigations continue in Akwanga, the rescued baby has become both a symbol of resilience and a reminder of Nigeria’s deepening social and economic crisis.