FROM PAUL ORUDE BAUCHI
A mother of six from Guru village in outskirt of Bauchi, Bauchi State has confessed that she threw her one day old infant into the soak -away shortly after delivering her at home because of hardship.
Juliana James, an indigene of Shendan Local Government Area of Plateau State, wept profusely as she spoke with journalists at the Police Command Headquarters in Bauchi, saying she loved her child.
The housewife who lives with her husband James and her six children-five girls and a boy in a one room apartment – claimed that things were so rough for her family that she decided that the way out was to sacrifice the new born.
“Things are hard. My husband has no job. He had an accident three months ago he is still in the hospital ago and the situation became worse for us. We don’t see food to eat. We were dying of starvation. I delivered at home and threw the baby in the toilet because I don’t know how we are going to take care of it. I didn’t tell my husband “, she narrated amidst sobs.
Juliana who claimed that the accident rendered her husband impotent three months ago, explained that when the cry of the baby in the soak away became too unbearable she changed her mind and , she ran to her neighbours and told them everything.
The baby girl was rescued alive and taken to the Abubakar Tafawa University Teaching hospital where she is currently receiving medical attention.
A source close to the woman claimed that Juliana seemed to be depressed due to hardship. “She was a hardworking mother and House wife who fried kwosai (bean-cake in the neighborhood but foe some time now during her pregnancy she had not been coming out. May be the recession took it’s toll on her,” the source who pleaded anonymity said.
Juliana was subsequently arrested by the police and is currently being remanded at the police station.
The Commissioner of police Zaki Ahmed who paraded the suspect for child abandonment along with other suspects, said the case was being investigated while the rescued baby was be handled to social welfare officials after she has been certified healthy.
Zaki who briefed the press on Friday on achievements of the command in the month of February, disclosed that 131 suspects have been arrested for various crimes in the month under review.
The CP while giving the breakdown, said that among the arrested suspects are 55 suspected kidnappers, 39 suspected armed robbers, 16 tape suspects among others.
Saying that proactive steps including visibility policing, criminal mapping, intelligence led policing,, convoy patrol and constant raids of Black posts were taken by the command to combat crime he said among the arrested were four time kidnapper Isa Lawal, three time kidnapper Bello Shomo and kidnapper rapist Rabo Mohammed among other notorious crime suspects.
He said 93 suspects have been charged to court, 14 cleared 21 are under investigation and disclosed that one AK 47 rifle, one Diana Mode 27 rifle, one single barrel gun, and several arms and ammunition and other exhibits including handsets, motorcycles, cash and hard drugs were recovered from the suspects.
“It is pertinent to. Mention here that all these aforementioned successes were made possible through cooperation born out of implicit confidence from well meaning members of the public and sheer patriotism to engender a safe and secure environment for all residents,” Zaki said.