Woman, 48, Jailed For Dumping Day-Old Baby

A 48-year old woman has been sentenced to a six-month imprisonment for abandoning her day-old baby in the bush.

According to Police First Information Report, FIR, a complaint was received from Sarki Abubakar of Kara market, Ajasse-Ipo, that Salamatu Baba of Jimba Oja from Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State on 30 September delivered a baby boy in the bush close to the market and abandoned the baby there.

The woman was arrested a few days after and arraigned before an Ilorin magistrate’s court.

The convict, who said she has 10 children for her divorced husband and also claimed she was out of her mind to have committed the crime, pleaded guilty to the offence

Consequently, the prosecutor handling the case, Inspector Kareem Jimoh, urged the court to proceed on summary trial of the case.

The woman was sentenced, on the first count of the charge  to a six-month imprisonment, with an option of fine.

Magistrate A.A.Yahaya, who pronounced the sentence, said the convict would be arraigned on the second count of cruelty to child.

The magistrate, aside sentencing her with an option of fine, ordered the convict to take custody of the baby, breastfeed him and be reporting with the child to court at the end of every month.

The magistrate also ordered the first child of the convict, Mr. Babangida, to write an undertaking that the baby would be taken care of and would not be killed by the convict.

by

Femi Oni/Ilorin