The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested a 20-year-old woman accused of burying her newborn baby girl alive.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Abubakar, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the incident occurred on June 25, 2025, when one Maryam Atiku, a resident of the Nasarawa area in Kamba, Dandi Local Government Area, gave birth to a baby girl. Shortly after delivery, she allegedly tied the baby’s neck with wrappers, covered her mouth, and carried her to a bush near Malam Yaro village, where she reportedly dug a shallow grave and buried the infant alive.
The following day, June 26, a farmer identified as Kabiru Muhammad discovered a suspicious patch of disturbed soil while working on his farm near Malam Yaro. On closer inspection, he raised an alarm that drew the attention of villagers. Together, they exhumed the buried baby, who was found alive, and rushed her to the General Hospital in Kamba. Medical personnel immediately attended to her, and she is now in stable condition.
A team of detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department in Birnin Kebbi was assigned to the case and later apprehended the suspect. During interrogation, Maryam Atiku reportedly confessed to the crime.
The Commissioner of Police, Bello Sani, condemned the act, reiterating the Command’s zero-tolerance stance on child abuse, exploitation, and all forms of gender-based violence. He further urged parents, guardians, and community leaders to uphold their moral and religious duty to protect children, stressing that poverty or hardship cannot justify such inhumane acts.
