Court remands 11-year-old for allegedly throwing toddler into a well

An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos yesterday ordered that an 11-year-old boy be remanded in a Special Correction Centre for boys in Oregun pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for allegedly throwing a one-year-old into a well.

The police charged the boy with murder. The Chief Magistrate, Adeola Adedayo, who gave the order, adjourned the case until March 6, for the DPP’s advice.

Earlier, the police prosecutor, Chinalu Uwadione, an Inspector, told the court the defendant had committed the offence on February 13, at about 4:00 p.m., at No. 6, Afolabi close, Ojo. He alleged that the defendant had thrown a one-year-old baby boy into a well while carrying him around.

The offence, the prosecutor noted, contravened the provisions of Section 224 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Meanwhile, no fewer than 900,000 children in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will benefit from the second round free health base facility services of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW), which began yesterday in the FCT.

The MNCH Week is set aside to deliver package of key maternal, newborn, and child survival interventions, aimed at reducing maternal, neo-natal and child mortalities.

Flagging off the exercise yesterday, Mandate Secretary, FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS), Malam Adamu Bappah, said it is a five-day programme expected to end in March 1, where mothers are expected to access the services from 7am to 3 pm daily.

The HHSS boss explained that emphasis has shifted from stand-alone vertical campaigns to a more integrated approach, which exposes caregivers, and children to key interventions that improve health status and enable them thrive through both the existing health system and outreach strategy.

According to him, every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five children and 145 women of child bearing age. This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under-five and maternal mortalities in the world.