A newborn baby was discovered abandoned on Wednesday night at the entrance of Zone 6, Federal Housing Estate, Shagari village area in Akure, WEEKEND HOPE reports.
The infant was reportedly left at about 9:35 p.m. and was found by a community resident, who quickly alerted other members through the estate’s group chat.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a male resident and member of the Federal Housing Estate Association executive council suggested that the baby may have been left at the gate intentionally so that it could be picked up by a local orphanage operating within the community.
Attempts to reach the orphanage operator, Evang. Tayo Ojueromi, were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
However, responding via the community’s WhatsApp group on Wednesday night, he assured residents: “We are already there and have notified the appropriate authority. The situation is under control.”
An hour later, he provided an update on the platform, stating, “A preliminary examination shows possible deformity and some health complications. We hope to advance these medical investigations in a standard medical facility and revert to the platform appropriately. Thanks for your concerns.”
Efforts to obtain comments from the Ministry of Women Affairs were also unsuccessful.
The Director of Child Welfare, Tophas Mefun, did not respond to calls as at the time of filing this report.