The Enugu Police Command has arrested a teenager, Joy Okonkwo, for allegedly killing her newborn baby in Olocha-Adogba, Awgu, a community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Joy was arrested alongside her 60years old mother, Christiana Okonkwo, who was accused to have instructed the baby’s mother to kill the child after birth.
It was gathered that Joy used a kitchen knife to stab the child, who was pronounced dead by medical experts, shortly after she delivered the baby at home.
The police spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed their arrest on Friday and disclosed that the mother of the child perpetrated the act, barely four days before the arrest.
Ndukwe, in a statement made available to newsmen, said the child, a male, was rushed to the hospital following the stabbing but was confirmed dead by doctors on duty.
He noted that the body of the child has been deposited in a morgue for preservation, pending when an autopsy would be carried out to ascertain what transpired before and after the child was killed.
According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, has ordered the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, Enugu, to investigate and prosecute the suspects.
“The police commissioner urged residents of the community to maintain peace and avoid acts that could lead to the breakdown of law and order in the community.
“He asked the residents to support the police in the matter and assured them that the suspects would be “meticulously investigated and prosecuted” within record time.
The child’s mother and the grandmother could be sentenced to death by the court if convicted, according to Section 319 of Nigeria’s Criminal Code.
