“I dug a small place to keep the baby until my mother comes back, so I can show her.”

By Cletus Ukpong


A teenage girl in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria, on Wednesday gave birth to a newborn baby and quickly buried her alive.

The girl, identified as Bright, 18, apparently did not want the baby after giving birth, and had to bury her in a shallow grave she dug in a garden inside a sprawling compound in Ifa Ikot Okpon community, Uyo Local Government Area.

She lives with her parents in a rented house inside the compound.

Bright told PREMIUM TIMES she did not know she was pregnant until the moment she gave birth. But from what her father, Okon Ekpenyong and others, who are familiar with the incident, said, it appears she lied.

‘I saw a baby coming out of my body’
“My body was paining me. All of a sudden, I now fell down here (pointing at the garden where she buried the baby), I saw a baby coming out of my body. I started crying,” she said, sobbing.

“The baby was dead. I was unconscious. I dug a small place to keep the baby until my mother comes back, so I can show her,” she added.

“Why didn’t you take the baby inside the house, is that a place where a baby should be kept?” PREMIUM TIMES asked Bright.

“I didn’t know what to do,” she responded.

“Can you sleep there, at that place?”

“I was in shock when I gave birth,” she responded, again. “There was no one to tell me what to do.”

In the garden where the baby was buried, there was a white piece of cloth stained with blood discarded at the edge of the tiny grave. Near it, there was a leaf from a plantain tree, which Bright had used to cover the baby while inside the grave.

Two people who witnessed the incident faulted Bright’s claim that the baby was already dead before she buried it.

A co-tenant in the compound, Matthew, said the baby was still alive before Bright buried it.

“The baby was crying,” he said.

Besides, Matthew said Bright dug the grave a previous day, not on the day she gave birth.

A midwife, Elizabeth Okon, who lives in the community, corroborated Matthew’s claim that the baby was still alive before it was buried.

She said a man who is the caretaker of the compound got attracted by the baby’s cry and called to inform her (the midwife) about the incident.

Mrs Okon said, because she was among the first responders, she took the baby out of the grave, cleaned her up a bit, and hurried to the roadside to take her to the hospital.

“Keke (commercial tricycle riders) refused to collect the old naira notes, and that kept us for several hours on the road until the baby eventually died,” she said.

“I had examined the baby before then, it was still breathing,” she added.

As of 2:30 p.m., the baby’s corpse was still kept in the compound which belongs to the late village head of the community. By then, curious residents had gathered in front of the gate because of the incident.


‘Didn’t know she was pregnant’ – Girl’s father

Bright’s father, Mr Ekpenyong, disclosed that his daughter ran away from home a few days ago when he and his wife suspected she was pregnant when they wanted to take her out for a checkup.

When PREMIUM TIMES asked Bright to respond to her father’s claim, she said she went to a church to look for a midwife who could help her with the pregnancy, clearly contradicting her other claim that she was unaware she was pregnant until the very moment she gave birth.

Bright said a man named Ezekiel, who lives in the community, was responsible for the pregnancy. She said her parents had been seeing the boy whenever he visited her.

Mr Effiong said he and his wife were unaware that their daughter was pregnant until some three days ago or so.

“It was on Sunday that I suspected she was pregnant. I noticed the changes in her body. She told me and the mum that there was nothing wrong with her,” said Mr Effiong, who said he works as a labourer on a farm.

Bright’s mother was not available in the compound when our reporter visited, she was said to have gone to work.


Gynecologist, police speak about incident

An Abuja-based gynaecologist, Taiwo William, told PREMIUM TIMES it was impossible for Bright to be unaware she was pregnant.

“Of course, with the baby in her womb, her tummy would protrude. And also, the baby moves and kicks inside the womb. Other persons might not know but the person who is pregnant would know,” he said.

Mr William said Bright must have experienced some discomfort usually associated with pregnancy but may have prepared herself emotionally to endure it in order not to expose the pregnancy.

“That is the difference between someone who is carrying a pregnancy that is desired and an undesired pregnancy. The one that you desire, you want to show everybody that you are pregnant, but the one you don’t want, you don’t want people to be aware of.

“So they hide some of those things. That is why it may look as if she didn’t go through any trouble. She might, but she might have tried to cover up and pretended as if nothing happened,” the doctor said.

He advised parents to avoid being judgmental in such a situation and rather visit a qualified medical facility to seek help because of the life of their pregnant daughter.

Police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, Odiko Macdon, said he had not yet been briefed about the incident and, therefore, would not comment on it.

“It’s a crime. Nobody has the right to bury somebody alive, even if it’s a child. That i, if it is true,” he said.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/582323-nigerian-teenager-buries-her-newborn-baby-alive.html

Pic: The Teen girl(Bright) and The garden where Bright burried her baby alive in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

If she wasn't gonna keep the baby why leave it for nine months?! Some youths have lost it, because their parents never gave them good upbringing in the society
.

No values! No morals!!
.

The parents failed.
The community failed.
.

Very contradictory story

Women are the major problem of the world. The world would have been peaceful without women.

God and Adam were paddy until Eve came. Ponder on that.

Anyways, it's their life, their loss!
I will keep saying it, you can't give what you don't have!
A parent that lack morals can't give it. It then becomes generational!

Siofra
Saphiere
Goodlady
Sweetplum
Jeon
MariahAngel
Pocohantas
Ibkayee
Jennyclay
Medianna


WHY?? WHY
Wetin dis innocent infant do una?
This is worse than rituals.

Ahhhhh

The future is indeed female. Shameless gender

What a life.

Youths and Teenagers need proper development from the society.

This is really sad.

I talk am before for one of my post here that Akwa Ibom female teenagers are promiscuous

Hmmm

You can do the do but don't want to bear the do.

Journey well, baby. Your wicked mother doesn't want you alive.

Fear women

Where is the guy/man/grandpa wey give you this pregnancy? Where is he? Why is he not around?
To all men out there that think 10mins of fun without protection is something to cheer about, you have no idea what awaits you 9months after!

As usual papa don japa since.

Bad upbringing

The heart of some woman are desperately wicked

Misterc:
That 18year old girl already has a Criminal Mindset...
She should face the law...
Imagine burying a newborn baby alive simply because u don't want the baby or you are scared/ashamed.....


The mother too wouldn't be exonerated because she can't claim to not know her own daughter is pregnant as a mother and a woman at that...

what if the parents (for instance the Mama) na the type wey dey always dey busy with work ?

You know the leave very early, and come back very Late kinda people

rottenegg:
Where is the guy/man/grandpa wey give you this pregnancy? Where is he? Why is he not around?
To all men out there that think 10mins of fun without protection is something to cheer about, you have no idea what awaits you 9months after!

Shatap. Was she forced to open her legs?

Justbehave:
Shatap. Was she forced to open her legs?

Knowing the antics of Nigerian men, I’m sure she was probably raped. Nigerian men and rape are like bread and butter.

Its their way, their obsession for yori yori life and promiscuity, they are quick to abort, and if they do give birth they tend to leave their babies with their mothers as long as they bring in cash and wrapper the arrangement usually works for them.

So if you intend to marry one, do a background check on her, goto her village and confirm that she does not have a child or children stashed somewhere, dont let her looks fool you.

Too long to read, abeg. If she said the baby was dead, it was dead. Who wan counter the claim other than post-mortem doctors?

quentin06:
Its their way, their obsession for yori yori life and promiscuity, they are quick to abort, and if they do give birth they tend to leave their babies with their mothers as long as they bring in cash and wrapper the arrangement usually works for them.

So if you intend to marry one, do a background check on her, goto her village and confirm that she does not have a child or children stashed somewhere, dont let her looks fool you.

Just imagine if Nigerian men could get pregnant, it will be a serious epidemic of pregnancies, aborted babies, unwanted babies etc knowing how whorish men are.

Tribal:
Buhari's and Igbos are destroying Tinubu's chance for Atiku to win. Even sane Person knows that Obi will never be allowed to be President. As the End, na still for Igbo Land Flanis Gov shall do more brutal Python Dance. Many of them know this but their Hatred to see Yorubas Greatness makes then to chose the Suicidal Path than to allow their fellow Southerner to become President.

Urchintola Abdulrauf we don hear, now go take another shot of Agbo mixed with Agbado