By Tony Adibe
The Enugu State Police Command on Friday said it had arrested an 18-year-old girl and her mother for conspiracy and murder of a newborn baby at Olocha-Adogba in Awgu community, Awgu Local Government Area of the State.
According to the command, the incident occurred on Monday at about 1:00 p.m., when the suspect, identified as Miss Ada Joy Okonkwo, 18, gave birth and conspired with her 60-year-old mother, Christiana Okonkwo, to kill the baby.
In a statement signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Deputy Superintend of Police (DSP) Daniel Ndukwe, the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, has ordered the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department Enugu to thoroughly investigate the case to unravel the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident.
Ammani also condemned the act and described it as “despicable and abominable.”
The statement revealed that, “Preliminary investigation shows that the said mother of the newborn male child used a kitchen knife to stab the child to death, following the counseling of her mother,” adding that the incident happened “moments after she was delivered of the baby at home.”
Ndukwe said the child was taken to the hospital and confirmed dead by the doctors on duty, adding that the corpse had been deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
However, Ndukwe said that the Commissioner has called on citizens of the community, particularly the women who carried out a peaceful demonstration, to express their disgust over the act, 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 will be meticulously investigated and prosecuted within record time.
