A 30-year-old mother-of-six, Risikat Olabintan, has been arrested for throwing away her one-day-old baby in a soak-away pit.

Olabintan was reported to have secretly given birth to the baby on Monday and allegedly threw him inside the soak-away as early as 5.00 a.m.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this on Wednesday in a statement.

Oyeyemi said the arrest of the woman followed a distress call received by residents of Ibukun Oluwapo Community, Ishaga Surulere area in Owode-Yewa in Ogun State, on the abandoned baby.

He said the police was told that some children heard the cry of a baby in the soak-away while playing at the backyard of their compound and raised the alarm.

He said, “On receiving the information, the DPO Owode-Yewa, Sp Olabisi Elebute, quickly led a team of policemen to the scene where the baby was rescued with the assistance of members of the public.

“Investigation later revealed that it was the said Risikat Olabintan who gave birth secretly to the baby and threw him inside the soak-away as early as 5am of that day, hence she was apprehended.

“On interrogation, she made a confessional statement that she actually gave birth to the baby which is the sixth of her children and that she has no means of feeding them all since her husband had absconded for quite some time now.

“Both the baby and the mother are presently in the hospital for medical attention and the baby is responding positively to treatment.”

The PPRO said the Commissioner of Police,  Imohimi Edgal, had directed that the case be transferred to Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the State Investigation and Intelligence Department for proper investigation.