On Friday morning, a day-old infant who had been left outside in the rain had passed away.
None of the onlookers knew the baby’s gender right away, and none of them could recall why or when the infant was left behind.
They insisted, however, that the infant had to have been abandoned by the side of the road in the rain.
Elvert Ayambem, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, was alerted by residents of the nearby Ikot Ishie community in the Calabar Municipality Council.
Despite the Speaker’s prompt response after receiving the residents’ distress call, the infant had already passed away, according to eyewitnesses, when he arrived at the scene.
Ayambem expressed her profound sorrow for the loss of the innocent kid and the city’s rising newborn abandonment rate in a speech at the scene on Friday morning.
Children are God’s blessings, and they should have the opportunity to live, develop, and flourish, he stated in an emotive tone.
This tragic event serves as a sombre reminder of our shared duty to look out for society’s most defenceless citizens.
No kid ever ought to experience such a sad ending, he said.
To stop such heinous deeds, he urged the neighbourhood to band together and take action.
He emphasised that harsher punishments will be meted out to those responsible for such horrible acts of baby abandoning and that this would serve to deter future offenders.
To address the crime of newborn abandoning, the State House of Assembly is proposing legislation.
Especially for the weakest among us, he emphasised the intrinsic value of every life.
