Police authorities in Kamba town, Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State, have apprehended a 20-year-old woman identified as Maryam Atiku for allegedly burying her newborn baby girl alive in a bush.
According to the Kebbi State Police Command, Maryam reportedly tied her baby’s neck with three pieces of wrapper, covered the infant’s mouth, and carried her to Malam Yaro bush. She then dug a shallow hole where she buried the baby alive.
Luck, however, shone on the infant when a farmer, Alhaji Kabiru Muhammad, who was working on his farmland near Malam Yaro village, noticed a patch of freshly disturbed soil that appeared like a grave. Suspicious of the site, he raised an alarm that drew the attention of nearby residents. Together, they exhumed the baby alive and quickly rushed her to the General Hospital in Kamba. Medical personnel confirmed that the child was in stable condition after receiving urgent treatment.
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The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Kebbi State Command, Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed the incident in a statement. He explained that detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Birnin Kebbi, immediately launched an investigation and arrested the suspect, who confessed to committing the crime.
In his reaction, the Commissioner of Police, Kebbi State Command, CP Bello M. Sani, strongly condemned the act and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting vulnerable groups. “The command will continue to wage a war of zero tolerance against any form of child abuse, exploitation, and all forms of gender-based violence across the state,” the CP stated.
