A newborn baby boy was fatally stabbed by his mother on the advice of her mother, which caused anger in Enugu State.
The incident took place on November 7 at Olocha-Adogba in the Awgu village of the Awgu Local Government Area.
According to reports, the baby’s mother, Ada Joy Okonkwo, age 18, gave birth to the child on that day, but her mother, Mrs. Christiana Okonkwo, age 60, is accused of giving her a knife to kill the child.
Further information revealed that Mrs. Okonkwo had never been pleased with her daughter for having an extramarital child.
Nation reports that she was said to have attempted to force the girl to remove the baby but was discouraged on the account that it would affect the life of her daughter.
“So, she waited for the girl to be delivered of the baby before giving her a knife to kill the baby and she stabbed him to death,” a source said.
The incident has expectedly drawn condemnation from the members of the public, particularly women of the community, who marched in protest.
The women marched round the community expressing disgust over the act.
Enugu police spokesman Daniel Ndukwe confirmed the incident.
In a statement he on Friday, Ndukwe said the grandmother and her daughter had been arrested for conspiracy and murder of a newborn male child (infanticide).
Ndukwe said Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, had ordered the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (SCIID) Enugu to thoroughly investigate the case.
According to him: “Preliminary investigation shows that the said mother of the newborn child used a kitchen knife to stab the child to death, following the counseling of her mother, moments after she was delivered of the baby at home.
“The child was taken to the hospital and confirmed dead by the doctors on duty, while the corpse was deposited in the mortuary for preservation and autopsy”.
The statement called on citizens of the community, particularly the protesting women to maintain peace and avoid acts that could lead to the breakdown of law and order in the community.
He urged them to be supportive, while reiterating that the case would be meticulously investigated and prosecuted within record time.
