Police arrest Benue woman for killing 11-month-old daughter

A  woman identified as Sughshater Ushahemba from Mbadyur council ward in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State has been accused of poisoning her 11-month-old baby.

It was gathered from the community that the woman allegedly fed the baby with a substance believed to be a chemical in the early hours of Saturday.

Another source quoted the woman as saying that the baby developed a high temperature in the early hours of Saturday and died.

The woman was said to have been caught when she tried to bury the baby.

But the Information Officer, Logo LGA, Paul Pevikyaa, who spoke to journalists on Monday, said  the woman had earlier told people that the baby took ill around 12:31am and died after two hours.

He said, “When the woman was interviewed, she (the woman) said when they were asleep, around 12.31am, the baby started having high fever and that the body was so hot that she gave up within two hours.

“She said that the mistake she made was at day break, she failed to inform her neighbours of what happened in the night because there is a strong belief that when you have neighbours and when you are having difficulties at night, at least you can call your neighbours to help you and they can be your witness. But she never did that.”

The information officer, however, said that the woman later confessed to killing her baby because she was abandoned by the man who impregnated her.

“So when day broke, she now attempted burying the baby. The baby was 11 months old,” he said.

Pevikyaa added that the  woman said she was impregnated by her boyfriend, and after she gave birth to a baby girl, the boy abandoned her with the child.

“She said she had been suffering with the child, and that was why she poisoned the baby by giving her a chemical that is used to spray grasses,” Pevikyaa said.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer, Benue State Command, SP, Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident, saying the suspect is currently in custody.