Cross River State has reacted unhappily over the death of an abandoned one-day-old baby in the flood at Ikot Ishie community in Calabar Municipality Council.
The tragic scene
Residents of the community had raised the alarm and drawn the attention of the Speaker who lives close by when they discovered the newborn baby abandoned along the Ikot Ishie market on Friday, August 19, 2023.
The residents believed that the baby was left by the roadside under the rain which swept him.
The Speaker, alongside the State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Helen Agan Isamoh, rushed to the scene for rescue but met the baby dead.
The Speaker and Dr. Isamoh wrapped the dead baby in a cloth and drove to the police station at state housing Calabar where officially registered the case and handed over the child.
Stricter penalties in place
Speaking after the incident, Ayambem said stricter penalties against individuals involved in baby abandonment and such heinous acts would be enacted.
He stressed that such legislation would deter those intending to commit such a crime in the future and reduce the occurrence of the incidents.
‘The State House of Assembly is considering legislative measures to address the crime of baby abandonment in parts of the state,’ the Speaker said.
Ayambem expressed deep concern over the loss of innocent life and the growing rate of infant abandonment in the city.
‘This heartbreaking incident is a stark reminder of our collective responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of our society.
‘No child should ever have to face such a tragic fate,’ he declared.
He called on the community to unite and take action to put an end to such dastardly acts.
