Woman Is Unrepentant After Killing Day-Old Baby

A 25-year-old woman in Ebo­nyi State, Ugochukwu Otu, has been arrested for killing her one-day baby girl soon after she was discharged from a maternity home. She killed the baby, put her dead body in a black polyethylene bag and dumped it in a bush near Ndibe beach road in her area, Sunday Sun reports.

Otu committed the muder on December 22, 2014 in Enohia Nkalu Afikpo North Local Government Area, Ebonyi State. She said she did it so that she would be free to live her life as she pleases and avoid the maternal responsibility of caring for the baby.

According to the Ebonyi State Police Commissioner, Maigari Dikko, the beginning of the exposure of the secret killing was when neighbours began asking her about the baby.

Otu then confessed and took the people to the where she dumped the baby. Shocked youths in the community went to a nearby a police station to report the matter and she was arrested.

Otu showed no remorse when asked why she killed the baby, saying:

“I killed my one-day old baby girl intentionally because I don’t have N500 for her medical treatment. I want to be free lady. I didn’t have any intention to get pregnant.

I was impregnated by one man called Monday, a native of Ozizza Afikpo North LGA. But later he refused to accept the pregnancy and I didn’t plan for it. I am not ready to marry; I want to be a free lady.

I had to strangle the baby girl and put the corpse in a black poly­thene bag and dumped it along Ndibe beach road, near the bush. I don’t regret killing my baby because nobody was responsible for her upkeep.”

While this lady's actions are evil and horrific, I wish she didn't feel as hopeless and desperate as she must have. There should be avenues to take up such children, and not have the life snuffed out of them by ill-prepared mothers.