Close incidents of abandonment of babies, as recently recorded in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, speak volumes about endemic social dysfunctions and dislocation in the society. That more of the nation’s mothers are dumping their babies in bushes and rivers is a trend that runs counter to the grain of humanity. And no doubt, the situation demands a thorough appraisal with a view to eradicating the ugly trend.
Nigeria has been witnessing a disturbing increase in the rate of infant abandonment. Recent reports disclose that seven cases were recorded in the Abaji and Kuje Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) within a month, July 29 to August 29. It indicates deep-seated societal problems. And it demands urgent action from stakeholders to address the underlying factors driving mothers to such desperate measures.
Infant abandonment is a global issue. A study completed in May 2012 and funded by the European Commission’s Daphne Programme showed that Romania had the highest number of children abandoned per year at maternity units, with 8.6 per 1,000 live births, followed by Slovakia (3.3 per 1,000 live births), Poland and Lithuania (1.7 per 1,000 live births), and France (1 per 1,000 live births). While there is no data on infant abandonment rates per 1,000 live births in Nigeria, a 2011 report recorded 497 cases in Lagos State, while another in Oyo State documented 114 cases between January 2009 and February 2012.
Again, in 2024, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) raised the alarm over a rise in cases of child abandonment, with 339 complaints registered in February alone across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. In September 2025, these gloomy statistics received a shocking addition to the tale of mothers’ estrangement from their infants. The Kebbi State Police Command arrested a 20-year-old who, after delivery, gagged her baby, dug a shallow pit, and buried the child alive. Luckily, the baby was rescued.
The remote triggers of child abandonment are many, and Nigerian society is no stranger to them. They include births out of wedlock; a mother’s vulnerability due to drug addiction, alcoholism, or mental illness; the delivery of a child with developmental disabilities, diseases, or malformations; the harsh realities of unemployment, homelessness, or lack of sustainable income; family conflicts, fear of publicity and public condemnation; and the absence of support from fathers or loved ones.
However, the immediate reason a mother would cast her baby into a solid waste pit is often sheer despondency. Although one or more of the above challenges might befall a mother, the inability to see a light at the end of the tunnel aggravates the situation. Shadowed by hopelessness, fear takes hold, maternal instincts shut down, and caregivers become numb to compassion.
Studies have shown that the precipitators of child abandonment are indeed temporary and could largely be avoided by urgently deploying a two-fold mechanism. Firstly, there is social and legal support, where the mother is propped up with employment, financial assistance, or shelter. Secondly, they can be aided through psychotherapeutic sessions, where they are equipped with mental and emotional coping strategies, alongside the strengthening of their self-esteem. Federal and state governments, communities, NGOs, and religious organisations must step in to fill this critical gap between conception and the point when a distressed mother abandons her newborn.
The United States has legal frameworks, notably the “safe-haven” laws, which decriminalise leaving unharmed infants at designated locations, such as hospitals, fire or police stations, without fear of prosecution. A related practice, said to date back to medieval times, is the use of “baby hatches” or “baby boxes,” which allow a parent to place a newborn in a secure and anonymous location where the infant can be found and cared for by others. While these measures may appear alien to Nigeria’s cultural context, they show that pragmatic alternatives exist. The government must develop models that fit the nation’s peculiarities and offer saner alternatives to desperate parents.
The Child Rights Act of 2003 should ordinarily put an end to infant abandonment. Among its provisions, Part II, Section 11 states, “Every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly, no child shall be subjected to physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment, including sexual abuse; subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment…” Sadly, the legislation has been hindered by weak enforcement mechanisms and inconsistent domestication across all states.
Nigeria cannot wish to curb infant abandonment while sticking to outdated silence around sexuality. A population that has witnessed the Jet Age, was shaped by the Computer Age, and now basks in the near-boundless possibilities of Artificial Intelligence, must recognise that the dynamics of human interaction and sexuality have evolved just as swiftly. Such people must, therefore, not shy away from sex education.
Authorities must provide Nigerians, particularly vulnerable segments of society, with access to comprehensive sex education in schools and communities. Topics such as contraception, family planning and sexual health will help to reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies. Beyond this, the government has a duty to pursue fiscal policies that strengthen social safety nets, including affordable healthcare, childcare support, and financial assistance for struggling families, ensuring no mother feels compelled to abandon her child due to economic hardship.
The impact of abandonment on a child can be devastating. Experts have noted that infancy is a period that affords a child the highest rate of development. At this delicate stage, it acquires the greatest amount of knowledge and skills, with every piece of incoming information shaping the brain’s configuration. This phase is believed to create the primary foundation for the child’s further development and also define its boundaries. It, therefore, necessitates the presence of a loved one providing continuous emotional contact with the baby.
The danger of adding emotionally scarred infants to Nigeria’s list of socioeconomic challenges is, to say the least, alarming. The Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Dr Tony Ojukwu, likely had this in mind when, while speaking on the 2024 statistics, he warned that the high prevalence of child abandonment in the country portends a dangerous trend, as some of these infants may pose future security threats.
To address infant abandonment, federal and state authorities have to be candid about the failures of past and current economic policies. That more Nigerians are throwing away their little ones is an indictment of the country’s leadership. The government must, therefore, take urgent steps to mitigate poverty and social inequality. There must be support frameworks where no parent feels pressured into seeing a bush, a river, or a shallow grave as an escape from their basic responsibilities towards newborns. To protect the child, the nation must first protect the mother.
