Residents have rescued a newborn baby boy abandoned at an uncompleted building within a mining site in Naraguta community, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The baby, who still had his umbilical cord attached, was discovered on Sunday along Ardo Lane after children playing around the building reportedly heard his cries and alerted nearby residents.
A resident, Lukman Yusuf Wayas, said he first heard the baby crying around 11pm on Saturday but initially thought the sound came from a neighbouring home where a woman had recently given birth.
Wayas explained that when the children heard the cries again the following morning, they informed his family, prompting them to alert security operatives, who evacuated the infant to a hospital for medical attention.
He said a subsequent visit to the location with a health worker led to the discovery of the placenta, suggesting that the baby might have been delivered at the site.
Reacting to the incident, the Chairman of the Elders’ Association for Angwan Rogo, Rimi, Zinaria and Sabon Layi, Alhaji Yusuf Wayas, called on parents to be more vigilant and urged community members to protect vulnerable persons.
He described the incident as disturbing, stressing the need for families and residents to pay closer attention to developments within their communities.
Similarly, the Ardo of Yanjin, Aliko Sa’adu, disclosed that the community had witnessed similar cases in the past, calling on relevant authorities to investigate the latest incident and identify the child’s mother.
Sa’adu said the matter had been reported to the appropriate authorities, adding that the newborn’s safety and welfare should remain paramount while efforts were made to establish the circumstances surrounding the abandonment.
