2-day old baby boy found abandoned on Lagos street

A 2-day old baby boy was found on Sunday March 8th after he was abandoned in a kiosk on Marina street close to Wema Bank Plc in Lagos Island. The baby who has since been named after late philanthropist Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas, was found by a good Samaritan, Dr Oscar Odiboh who runs the Afribaby Initiative,a non-governmental organization.

According to Punch, Dr. Odiboh (pictured above), said he got a call from some people that a baby has been abandoned on the streets in Marina...

"I got a distress call on Sunday that a baby had been abandoned by the roadside at Marina. I left everything I was doing and rushed to the scene. While I was heading for the scene, I contacted the police and some medical personnel to be on standby. On getting there, I discovered that the baby was abandoned inside a kiosk. People were gathered and just watching, cursing the mother. Nobody dared to go near the baby. A few minutes after I got there, the police arrived and I was allowed to carry the baby. We took him to the station and I handed him over to the family support unit of the police at the Adeniji Adele Police Station.”. He daid

On why the baby was named Molade Okoya-Thomas, Dr Odiboh said

“Knowing that the police would transfer the baby to the appropriate government agency, and in order to create an identity for the baby, I decided to name him after Chief Okoya-Thomas. Coincidentally, I was wearing one of his burial attires on that day and the baby, who we have adjudged to be about two days old, might have been born the same day our he was buried.

The baby has now been transferred to the Office of Youth and Social Development where he is said to be doing very well