Mentally challenged woman backs dead baby for days in Ebonyi state

A mentally ill woman had a dead baby strapped to her back for over a week until the smell became too unbearable for locals.

The woman was spotted on Tuesday, August 18, with the dead baby at Effium in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

It was gathered that she arrived at the community some months ago from an unknown destination and started staying in an uncompleted one-storey building.

Her presence caused no problems until she began strolling the community with a foul stench and people reported to the police. It was then noticed that it was coming from the baby at her back.

A source told Punch: “The police alerted the two coordinators in the area, Agbo Sunday of the Effium Development Centre, and Mrs Eucharia Ogwale of the Effium South Development Centre. The two coordinators mobilised some youths in the area to dispossess the woman of the dead baby.

“But the woman was resistant and so, it was difficult to get the dead baby from her. She vehemently resisted the youth from collecting the baby from her. However, the youth were smart enough, overpowered her and eventually collected the baby from her yesterday (Tuesday).

“The baby was already decomposing on her back, because she had carried it for over one week or so. The youth collected the baby from her and it was buried at the cemetery on Tuesday.”

Agbo Sunday confirmed to Punch that the baby was buried on Tuesday and that people were already going about their normal business.

“People should go about their business because the situation has been put under control. The dead baby was buried on Tuesday,” he stated.