Woman Claims Abandoned Baby as Her Own, Alleges Hospital Deception in Port Harcourt
A woman has emerged to claim a baby that was discovered abandoned in a bush in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, sparking a complex and emotional dispute. This development follows a previous report where a man rescued the newborn and attempted to adopt it, only to be blocked by authorities who asserted the child is the government's property.
Mr. Okorom Ifeanyi, the man who found the baby, had taken the infant to a hospital after police officers did not intervene. He paid for medical expenses, including an incubator and oxygen, which revived the baby from near death. Subsequently, he initiated formal adoption procedures, but authorities halted his efforts, declaring the baby girl as belonging to the government.
Naomi's Heartbreaking Account
Now, a woman named Naomi has contacted the media, claiming the child is hers. She shared a video on February 26, confronting the hospital in Port Harcourt where she gave birth. Naomi alleges that the hospital falsely informed her that her baby had died, only for her to later see the child's story online.
In a detailed conversation, Naomi recounted her pregnancy complications, which led her to switch hospitals on the day of delivery. At the new hospital, she consented to surgery. As an orphan with no close family, her landlady accompanied her. After a cesarean section, the baby was taken away, and she did not see the infant or learn its gender. Initial scans indicated a girl, but later scans showed a boy, leading her to believe she had a son.
Naomi claims that after surgery on May 9, 2025, her landlady told her the baby did not survive. When she questioned hospital staff, they initially said the baby was alive and receiving care, but then administered a sedative that knocked her out. Upon waking hours later, she was informed the baby had died. She requested to hold the child and noticed the infant was still warm and sweating, despite claims of death hours earlier. Doctors reportedly told her the baby's heart was no longer beating.
She held the baby overnight, not checking the gender due to trust in the medics' information. By morning on May 10, 2025, the baby remained warm and did not stiffen, unlike a deceased infant. After being sedated again, she woke to find the baby taken away. The hospital offered to bury the child for N60,000, which she paid, but she did not attend the funeral due to heartbreak and high blood pressure.
Recognition and Evidence
Naomi said she accepted the baby's death and moved on, only to see the story of the abandoned baby online. She recognized the child by features such as the hair on its head, a red patch on the face, and the nose. "The hair on her head that I was looking at all night, the red patch on her face, her nose is unmistakable. I was not mistaken, that is my baby. At first I thought I was running mad, I needed evidence," she told the media.
She reached out to friends who had seen the baby, and they confirmed it was the same infant recovered from the bush. Additionally, she noted that the blue sack in which the child was found matched the blue plastic covering the bed she bought for the baby, which the hospital had requested to wrap the infant.
"I don't know how my baby survived, but that's my child," Naomi insisted, crying. She is now seeking help to reclaim the baby and calling for an investigation into the hospital's actions.
Ongoing Controversy
This case highlights serious allegations of hospital misconduct and raises questions about child welfare and adoption processes in Nigeria. The conflicting claims between Naomi, Mr. Ifeanyi, and the authorities create a tangled situation that demands resolution through proper legal and investigative channels.
As the story unfolds, it underscores the need for transparency in medical institutions and protection for vulnerable individuals, especially in matters involving infants and parental rights. The community and authorities are urged to address these allegations promptly to ensure justice and the well-being of the child.
