A dead baby was yesterday found in a waste bin where she was dumped by her mother.
The body, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), was found in a refuse dump at Costain Bus stop on Apapa Road in Ebute Metta, Lagos State.
The baby, dressed in a light-green unisex wear with a black cap, looked malnourished.
A sympathiser told NAN that he saw the baby still breathing when he was going to work earlier in the day.
The sympathiser, who asked not to be named, said he called the Lagos State emergency services numbers.
He expressed disappointment that the child could not be rescued before her death.
“Imagine this kind of tragedy, if the baby had been rescued on time, she would not have died. The Lagos State Emergency Unit has failed us,” he said.
A trader, Adeolu Aderogba, said she found the baby around 7a.m when she started selling bread.
“I found the baby on the refuse when I came this morning. Whoever dumped the baby there must be a very wicked person,” she said.
Babies, she said, were gifts from God, who should be cared for, noting that some contemporary mothers seemed to be careless and morally bankrupt.
A businessman, Opeyemi Rasheed, said the baby should have been buried normally instead of being dumped on refuse.
“A grave should have been dug instead of just depositing the baby by the roadside,” Rasheed said.
Steven Yusuf said he would report the incident at the Mainland Local Government Area.
“This will enable the council to remove the corpse and give it proper burial. It is not good as the corpse is lying around. It can lead to an outbreak of diseases for the inhabitants of the area,” Yusuf said.
NAN reports that as at 10.30 a.m., the body was still lying on top of refuse pile-up with flies perching on it.
Police spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent (CSP), said the Iponri Police Division had been notified about the body.
Oti told NAN that the police were taking action, adding that no arrest had been made in connection with the matter.
