A newborn baby boy has been rescued after farmers returning from their farms found him abandoned in a bush at Sombo in the Wa Municipality.
The farmers reportedly heard the baby crying and went to investigate, only to find him naked and lying helpless in the bush.
Abubakari Seidu, the Assembly Member for the Sombo Electoral Area, said he was alerted to the incident and quickly went to the scene.
“Some people said they were coming from their farm when they heard the cry of a baby. They got there and realised that it was a baby delivered and dumped into the bush,” he recounted.
Mr Seidu said the discovery left residents shocked and distressed.
“We were actually shocked to the marrow when we saw the baby lying in the bush. Our hearts palpitated because we couldn’t imagine how a woman could be pregnant for nine or ten months, deliver the baby and then dump the baby in the bush. It’s an evil act,” he said.
He immediately contacted the Sombo Health Centre, where a midwife, identified as Rafida, responded to the call and rushed to the scene on a motorbike.
She found the boy crying and lying exposed, picked him up and took him to the health facility, where she bathed him and placed him on her bed.
With no mother present to breastfeed the baby, Mr Seidu said they sought advice on what to feed him.
“We asked, now that the baby is not having a mother, what will the baby eat? We were told NAN 1,” he said.
The assembly member provided money and NAN 1 infant formula, which the nurse used to feed the baby.
“We thank God that the baby has survived and we have been able to rescue the baby,” he said.
Residents express shock
News of the incident spread through the community, with several women visiting the health centre to see the baby and express their concern over his abandonment.
One woman, in her late 20s, said she was distressed by the condition in which the baby had been found.
“We are not happy. I only saw the baby at the health centre, but even there I wasn’t happy. It appeared the baby had been abandoned before the rain started. He was drenched by the rain, and flies had almost enveloped him. We thought there were maggots,” she said.
Another woman, who was middle-aged, urged women who might find themselves in similar circumstances not to abandon their babies.
“My advice to my fellow women who may have such intentions in the future is to please reconsider. It is not good, and it is not something to emulate. Any woman who is pregnant should try as much as possible to deliver and nurture the child on her lap for the child to grow,” she said.
Authorities alerted
Mr Seidu said the incident was unprecedented in the community and suggested that the mother might not be a resident of Sombo.
“I’ve never seen anything like that happening in this community. Probably the person could not even be from this community,” he said.
He added that community leaders and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had been informed to help identify and locate the mother.
An official of the Social Welfare Department, Julita, was also present at the health centre. She welcomed the baby’s survival but noted that some cases of abandoned newborns ended tragically.
“We are happy that the baby is alive. Other times when we are called, we go, and the baby is already dead,” she said.
The Social Welfare Department is expected to assess the case and take the necessary steps, while community leaders and the CID work to identify the mother.