Residents in Plateau State have rescued a newborn baby boy who was abandoned in an uncompleted building at a mining site in the Naraguta community of Jos North Local Government Area.
The baby, whose umbilical cord was still attached, was found on Sunday at the site along Ardo Lane.
Sources who confirmed the incident in Jos on Monday said the baby was discovered after children playing near the uncompleted building heard his cries and alerted the family of Lukman Yusuf Wayas, who quickly contacted security operatives.
The security personnel reportedly took the baby to a hospital, where he received medical attention.
Recounting the incident, Wayas said he heard a baby crying at about 11pm on Saturday but assumed the sound came from a newborn in a nearby household.
He said, “When the children heard the cry again this morning, they alerted us, and we immediately informed security operatives, who took the baby to the hospital for medical attention.
“We later returned to the scene with a health worker and discovered remains of the placenta, which suggested that the baby was delivered at that location.”
In response to the incident, Alhaji Yusuf Wayas, Chairman of the Elders’ Association for Angwan Rogo, Rimi, Zinaria, and Sabon Layi, called on parents to keep a closer watch over their children and to make sure vulnerable people in their communities are protected.
“This is a serious matter. Parents need to pay closer attention to what is happening within their families and communities,” he said.
Also speaking, the Ardo of Yanjin, Aliko Sa’adu, stated that similar incidents had been recorded in the community in the past, calling for a thorough investigation into the latest case.
“We have reported the matter to the relevant authorities to investigate and identify the mother of the child. We want them to establish what happened and reunite the baby with the mother where possible,” he said.
Sa’adu emphasized that the safety and welfare of the newborn should remain a priority while investigations continued.
