Baby Dumped At Edo IDP Camp With SOS Note

A baby suspected to be two days old was found dumped within the premises of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Uhogua, near Benin in Ovia South West local government area of Edo State at the weekend.

Coordinator of the camp, Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, while disclosing this to newsmen said the baby was in dire need of breast feeding.

According to Pastor Folorunsho, an unknown person dumped the baby at the camp’s woods, which is an entrance into the camp on Friday at about 11a.m.

He said the baby, presently under medical care at the camp health facility, was dumped with a note.

“The baby was dumped with a note which read; ‘Please help me take care of him. I cannot take care of him, because I don’t have anything and I don’t want to kill him also, so he is your own please”.

The coordinator said the development had been reported to relevant authorities as well as security agencies in the state, including the Ministry of Women Affairs, police and Department of State Services (DSS).

Folorunsho appealed to the mother of the child to be confident enough to come out, adding that child is in need of breast feeding.

“I encourage the mother to come out and not be afraid, if not for anything so that the baby can be given breast milk, while we solicit support for them.

“Or we could mobilise to raise and rent a house for her, help with food and other things since she said the reason for her action is because she cannot take care of the child.

“If she has support, I am sure she will be able to take care of the baby. If the woman will be there, we will be supporting the child.

“But in the absence of that, we are ready to take care of the child and train him like other children here, because some children we  here were brought in quite young, though this is the youngest.”

Folorunsho also appealed to well meaning Nigerians to assist the child with clothes, food and other items.

According to the camp coordinator, the parents of the child must have dumped him because of the confidence that the camp takes good care of all babies in their possession.

“The way we care for children here, I think the news is everywhere. Everybody knows us and how we are able to take care of children.

“We bring them up well morally, educationally, upkeep and everything.

“So I believe she is somebody that knows us, or somebody told her about us,” he further said.