Five-month-old baby, mother rescued from Lagos canal

Barely two weeks after operatives of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, also known as KAI, rescued four nursing mothers and their children from a dumpsite along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, another five-month-old baby girl and her mother have been rescued from a canal along the same expressway.

PUNCH Metro gathered in a telephone conversation with the spokesperson for the agency, Lukman Ajayi, on Wednesday that the operatives found the duo while carrying out routine clearance operations in the Abule-Ado area of the expressway.

According to Ajayi, the mother could not explain the circumstances that brought them to the canal, while the child was found in a poor state of health.

He noted that the operatives, who were concerned about the safety of both mother and daughter, immediately rescued them and took them to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Ajayi said, “Today, our operatives rescued a mother and her five-month-old baby girl from a canal at Abule-Ado during routine clearance operations on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

“The mother could not give a satisfactory answer as to why they were there, and she only said she was running from her husband, who lived in FESTAC.

Both the mother and the child have been taken to the hospital. The child was not in a good state of health when they were rescued.”

The latest incident has again drawn attention to the vulnerability of mothers and young children found living or seeking refuge in unsafe environments along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, with previous rescues by KAI highlighting concerns about sanitation, child welfare and access to necessities.

The repeated discoveries also underscore the need for agencies responsible for environmental enforcement and social welfare to work together to identify vulnerable families and provide them with appropriate shelter, healthcare and other support rather than leaving them exposed to hazardous environments.

PUNCH Metro reported on August 12 that the agency rescued four nursing mothers and their babies from an illegal dumpsite at Agboju along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Lagos State.

According to a statement on the agency’s X page, one of the babies rescued was only nine days old and had been living in an environment characterised by filth, poor air quality and inadequate access to necessities.

The agency had also identified the rescued women as Fareedat Muyideen, 23, from Kwara State, with her two-year-old child; Ayomide Ayomoke, 25, from Ondo State, with her 10-month-old baby; Amanda Oziema Abalihi, 20, from Anambra State, with her nine-day-old baby; and Chisom Ugo, 24, from Imo State, with her 11-month-old child.