Residents rescue abandoned day-old baby at Plateau mining site

Residents have rescued a newborn baby boy abandoned in an uncompleted building at a mining site in Naraguta community, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The baby, whose umbilical cord was still attached, was discovered on Sunday at the site along Ardo Lane.

Sources who confirmed the incident to PUNCH Metro in Jos on Monday said the baby was found after children playing around the uncompleted building heard his cries and alerted the family of Lukman Yusuf Wayas, who promptly contacted security operatives.

The security personnel reportedly evacuated the baby to a hospital, where he received medical attention.

Narrating the incident, Wayas said he heard a baby crying at about 11pm on Saturday but assumed the sound came from a newborn in a neighbouring household.

He said, “When the children heard the cry again this morning, they alerted us, and we immediately informed security operatives, who took the baby to the hospital for medical attention.

“We later returned to the scene with a health worker and discovered remains of the placenta, which suggested that the baby was delivered at that location.”

Reacting to the incident, the Chairman of the Elders’ Association for Angwan Rogo, Rimi, Zinaria and Sabon Layi, Alhaji Yusuf Wayas, urged parents to pay closer attention to their children and ensure the protection of vulnerable persons in their communities.

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“This is a serious matter. Parents need to pay closer attention to what is happening within their families and communities,” he said.

Also speaking, the Ardo of Yanjin, Aliko Sa’adu, said similar incidents had been recorded in the community in the past, calling for a thorough investigation into the latest case.

“We have reported the matter to the relevant authorities to investigate and identify the mother of the child. We want them to establish what happened and reunite the baby with the mother where possible,” he said.

Sa’adu stressed that the safety and welfare of the newborn should remain a priority while investigations continued.

Efforts to contact the Plateau State Police Command spokesperson, Alabo Alfred, were unsuccessful, as his telephone was switched off when contacted for comments on Monday.