An abandoned and lifeless foetus has been discovered in Hall Eight Female Hostel of the University of Calabar, according to reports.
This caused quite a stir as students and officials thronged to catch a sight of the dead baby in one of the bathrooms of the hostel.
The identity of the female student, who abandoned the foetus beside one of the bathrooms, is however, still unknown.
Cross River Watch reports:
An embryonic baby was flushed prematurely and abandoned at hall 8, female hostel of the University of Calabar, UNICAL on Tuesday February 18th 2014 at about 19:05 GMT.
A source in the hostel who preferred not to be named told CrossRiverWatch that “I was outside our hostel browsing when all of a sudden I saw girls running into hall 8, at first I was afraid thinking it was a fight but when I drew closer I discovered it was not a fight but rather a dead baby abandoned in one of the bathrooms of the hostel soaked in a pool of blood”.
Continuing, the source added that the baby should be about 3 to 5 months, adding that “The mother is yet to be identified but I’m sure she’s in hall 8″.
After about two hours of consternation amongst the students, the dead baby disappeared and no student was willing to say who had taken the body away.
Most of the hostel residents were unwilling to speak on the issue as everyone that our reporter approached expressed fears of victimization.
As at 7:42pm yesterday, the Vice President, Student Union Government, SUG of the University, Comrade Mercy Mbakwu, who was aware of our reporter’s presence, was overhead announcing that, “Girls take note that journalists are around so be careful of what you say and how you say it”.
CrossRiverWatch however gathered that the dead baby had been taken away inside a plastic bucket by unknown people to an unknown destination while some other sources said the baby has been buried.
It will be recalled that on October 26, 2012, CrossRiverWatch reported how another baby of about two days old was abandoned by an unknown mother and was found dead behind the Medical Students Hostel, University of Calabar near the office of the Cross River State first lady, Mrs. Obioma Liyel-Imoke.
Speaking at the scene where the dead baby was abandoned, special assistant to the Governor on Public Health/ NGO and Special Projects, Dr. Regina Ejemot-Nwadiaro said her attention was drawn to the incident by an anonymous caller which prompted her presence to the scene.
Ejimot-Nwadiaro said that immediately she got to the place, she called the Calabar Urban Development Authority, CUDA, who quickly responded to the call and subsequently alerted the Police.
She condemned the perpetrator of the act which she described as dastardly, callous, inhuman and outright wickedness.
The Executive Secretary of CUDA Gabriel Egari on his part promised to incident the case with the police as well as get clearance before his office could evacuate and bury the dead baby.
CrossRiverWatch followed the matter up the matter with the authorities and can report that nothing was done other than the promises.
Whether anything will be done about this recent incident is a matter of time again.
