A 22-year-old woman, Adisa Funmilola, has drowned her baby because the child prevented her from going to university to study law.
She drowned the one-year and six months old baby inside a bucket of water in her apartment at Plot 22, Gowon Estate, Lagos, on Monday, and then reported herself to the Police.
During interrogation, she blamed her action on frustration, saying her baby deprived her of actualising her dream of becoming a lawyer.
She explained that she was impregnated by one Yusuf Folarin, while both were attending a Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, class at City of Success in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
Trouble started for her after Folarin denied paternity, requesting rather that the pregnancy be aborted.
Along the line, she said she was offered admission into the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun State, to study Law, but had to defer the admission because of the baby.
Surprisingly, Folarin, the woman who drowned her baby, did not show remorse for her action.
She said: “I killed my baby and reported myself to the police. I filled a bucket with water, dipped her inside and held her head until she died.
“I did it for three reasons. First, I didn’t have the financial might to take care of her. Second, I was tired and frustrated.
“But the most painful reason is that she deprived me of actualising my dream of becoming a lawyer.
“I would have aborted the pregnancy, but my father advised me against it. The person that is responsible for the pregnancy rejected me. I live with my sister, who has no job and I am also not working.”
Asked if she was aware of the magnitude of her offence, she gave a wry smile, and muttered: “The most important thing is that I have killed the baby.”
She was taken to the command headquarters in Ikeja, on Tuesday, from where the Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, directed that she should be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCIID, Yaba.
Elder sister to the suspect who was around, who expressed shock at her sibling’s action. said she was at home on the day of the incident, but never knew what the latter was doing until policeman stormed their apartment.
The sister, who did not want her name in print, said: “Yes, we live together. I was in my bedroom while she was in hers. I didn’t know when she drowned the baby.
“I suspect she is mentally deranged because our mother had a similar mental issue before she died.”
Police sources hinted that investigation into the matter would include a medical test on the suspect to ascertain whether she is mentally stable.
“But that will not stop her from facing the consequence of her action,” police sources said.
Source: Vanguard