FIDA Rescues Newborn Abandoned at Shrine in Rivers State

The International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, Rivers State branch, has rescued an infant who was abandoned at a shrine in Abua, located in the Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.

This was disclosed by the Chairperson of FIDA in Rivers State, Tamunoibuemi Life-George, while providing details of the rescue operation on Tuesday.

According to her, the organisation received credible information on Sunday, June 14, 2026, indicating that a two-week-old male infant had been abandoned in front of a local shrine within the area.

She explained that the matter was promptly escalated, leading to the child’s rescue with the support of the police.

She disclosed that preliminary findings, including interviews with the child’s mother, revealed that the young woman had initially left the baby in the care of his father due to an inability to provide basic necessities for him.

According to her, the infant’s grandfather, who is the father of the child’s father, allegedly took the baby and abandoned him in front of a shrine late at night.

Life-George explained that upon receiving the report and confirming the arrival of the child, the mother, and other concerned individuals at the FIDA Legal Centre, the organisation immediately intervened to safeguard the infant’s wellbeing and survival.

She listed some of the emergency measures already taken to include securing the immediate safety of the child, facilitating preliminary medical assessments at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, and providing emergency living support for the young mother to enable her to continue breastfeeding the baby.

She noted that although the baby is currently stable, comprehensive medical evaluations remain necessary to ensure his long-term health, adding that the case is presently being managed at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital in Port Harcourt.

To sustain the intervention, Life-George disclosed that FIDA urgently requires financial support to cover medical costs and clinical evaluations recommended at the hospital, as well as nutritional and welfare assistance for the young mother to enable her adequately care for her child.

She appealed to well-meaning individuals and organisations to support the intervention through financial contributions aimed at funding the baby’s medical diagnostics and providing immediate welfare materials for both mother and child.

When contacted, spokesperson for the state police command, Blessing Agabe, said she would find out from the Divisional Police Officer and revert to our correspondent.

However, she had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report on Wednesday afternoon.

Cases of infant abandonment have continued to raise concern in various parts of Nigeria, often linked to poverty, weak social support systems, and family breakdowns, with such incidents also underscoring the critical role community-based organisations and civil society groups play in emergency child protection and rescue efforts.