There was outrage on Sunday at Gwallameji, a suburb of Bauchi, the Bauchi State capital, after a dog was found eating a newborn baby abandoned at a rubbish dump.
A resident of the area, who only gave his name as Isaiah, said that he was coming back from church when he came across the scene.
He said, “I was coming back home from my church when I saw many people gather behind a house. I became curious and I went to see what was happening.
“What I saw there was disgusting and annoying. Someone had dumped a newborn baby at a rubbish dump and a dog was feasting on it.
“From what I heard people say, the baby was abandoned alive, but was killed by the dog.
“It was an ugly sight to behold– a dog eating a baby! How can someone do this to an innocent child? How can a human life be treated with such levity? It is inhumane.”
He said that some of the onlookers dug a shallow pit and buried the remains of the baby at the dump.
When contacted, the traditional chief of Gwallameji, Hassan Ibrahim, confirmed the incident.
“I got a call from someone informing me of the incident, but I told the person that I was not around. When I called the number back, I was told that Wakilin Sarkin Gwallameji (representative of the traditional chief of Gwallameji), Sanusi Mohammed, was already there.
“Since he was there, I continued what I was doing, knowing that he would handle everything well. As I speak with you now, I haven’t met him yet for information about the incident,” Ibrahim said.
The traditional chief said he was not aware that the baby had been buried at the dump, adding that he was sure his assistant would have informed the police about the incident.