A 17-year-old lady has been arrested in the Ekuigbo community, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State following the death of a male child she allegedly threw into a well. Sources from the community said the mother was reported to have thrown her 9-month-old son into a well owing to her inability to carter for his welfare. The mother, identified as Eguonor Joseph, according to local sources, had dropped her baby, Harrison Joseph inside a well in the community at about 5a.m but the remains of the baby was discovered at about 1:50p.m by persons who had gone to fetch water from the well.
An eye witness at the scene of the incident, who simply gave his name as Maureen Akpedafe, said: “When the baby was brought out from the well, he was identified as the son of Eguonor. “An angry mob then mobilized, went to her house and almost lynched her to death until she was rescued by the police who subsequently arrested her.”
A senior security source at the Ughelli Area command confirmed the incident when contacted adding that the mother was arrested after the incident was reported while the remains of the baby has been deposited in the mortuary. The source who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “When the matter was reported at the command, a team of policemen was drafted to the scene of the incident where the corpse of the baby was recovered and the mother arrested.”