THERE was outrage in Enugu State over the stabbing of a newborn baby boy to death by his mother on the instruction of her mother.
The incident occurred at Olocha-Adogba in Awgu community, Awgu Local Government Area of the state, on November 7.
It was gathered that the mother of the baby, 18-year-old Ada Joy Okonkwo, gave birth to the baby on that day but her mother, Mrs. Christiana Okonkwo, who is about 60 years old, allegedly gave her a knife to kill the baby.
It was further learnt that Mrs. Okonkwo was never happy with her daughter for getting pregnant out of wedlock.
She was said to have attempted to force the girl to abort the baby but was discouraged on the account that it would affect the life of her daughter.
“So, she waited for the girl to be delivered of the baby before giving her a knife to kill the baby, and she stabbed him to death,” a source said.
The incident has expectedly drawn condemnation from members of the public, particularly women of the community, who marched in protest.
The women marched round the community expressing disgust over the act.
The spokesman of the state police command, Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the incident.
In a statement he issued yesterday, Ndukwe said the grandmother and her daughter had been arrested for conspiracy and murder of a newborn male child (infanticide).
Ndukwe said that the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, had ordered the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (SCIID) Enugu to thoroughly investigate the case.
He said, “Preliminary investigation shows that the said mother of the newborn child used a kitchen knife to stab the child to death, following the counseling of her mother, moments after she was delivered of the baby at home.
“The child was taken to the hospital and confirmed dead by the doctors on duty, while the corpse was deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy”.
The statement called on citizens of the community, particularly the protesting women to maintain peace and avoid acts that could lead to the breakdown of law and order in the community.
He urged them to be supportive, while reiterating that the case would be meticulously investigated and prosecuted in a record time.