Babies in the rubble: Inside Lagos’ growing child abandonment crisis, 
***State records 1,437 child protection cases and 5,708 interventions
***Residents and of-and 5,708 interventions
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
ON a rainy Tuesday morning in Ikeja, sanitation workers made a grim discovery. Tucked inside a carton by a roadside drain was a newborn, still with the umbilical cord attached and wrapped in a thin cloth.
Three days later, in Alimosho, a fourmonth-old baby was found abandoned outside a church gate. In Ikorodu, another infant was rescued from a refuse dump.
The incidents are disturbing reminders of the dangers faced by children abandoned in Lagos, where poverty, teenage pregnancy, stigma, family breakdown and other social pressures are placing vulnerable children at risk.
Across communities from Oshodi-Isolo to Kosofe, Ifako-Ijaiye and Alimosho, child protection officials, security agencies and Good Samaritans continue to respond to cases involving abandoned, neglected and abused children.
Behind the official figures are individual stories of children who, through no fault of their own, have been left without the protection and care they need at the very beginning of their lives.
For every child rescued, officials and residents fear there may be others whose fate remains unknown.
Babies rescued from dangerous environments
Several child abandonment and rescue incidents have been documented across Lagos in 2026, prompting interventions by residents, security agencies and state authorities.
In March, a newborn boy was reportedly found abandoned near the Ladoje Canal in Agege. Market women and other residents who discovered the baby provided immediate assistance before handing him over to government authorities.
In April, neighbours in Ipaja raised the alarm over a threeyear-old girl who was allegedly abandoned in a malnourished and unhygienic condition after her mother accused her of witchcraft. State officials subsequently rescued the child.
The incident sparked outrage among residents, who described the child’s condition as heartbreaking and called for stronger action against the abandonment of children on the basis of superstion,
In May, Lagos State Police Command operatives reportedly intercepted a child trafficking operation at Alafia Bus Terminal, CokerOrile, rescuing four children who had allegedly been kidnapped from Ijesha-Tedo and were being transported out of the state.
In another intervention in July, officials under the Lagos State emergency healthcare and LASHMA-AID initiative rescued an unconscious pregnant woman found o n acity street. She was taken to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where she received medical attention and safely delivered a baby girl.
State authorities subsequently coordinated support for the mother and child.
More recently, officers of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, LAGESC, popularly known as KAI, alongside local responders, rescued vulnerable infants and young mothers living in extremely poor conditions around an illegal dumpsite corridor.
Earlier in August, LAGESC operatives rescued four nursing mothers and their babies, including a nineday-old infant, from an illegal dumpsite in Agboju, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
The women and children were reportedly living in unhygienic conditions surrounded by refuse and other environmental hazards before receiving medical assistance and shelter.
Then, on August 26, another vulnerable baby was rescued at the Alakija junkyard in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area during an operation to clear illegal structures along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
A video of the rescue showed enforcement officers and members of the public attending to the distressed baby, giving the child water and offering reassurance.
“Fine boy, fine boy,” one of the officers was heard saying, as others and bystanders celebrated the rescue.
The baby’s condition also drew concern from the crowd, with some calling for water and others comforting the child.
Confirming the incident, the Corps Marshal of LAGESC, Major Olaniyi Cole (retd.), said the baby had been taken for medical attention.
“The baby is at One Life Hospital by our office, Bolade, Oshodi. After the baby has been stabilised, [the child] would be handed over to the appropriate quarter for further welfare packages,” Cole said.
Residents react with anger, concern
Across communities where abandoned children have been discovered, residents have expressed a mixture of shock, anger and relief.
In Ipaja, residents who raised the alarm over the three-year-old girl said they were relieved by the intervention but worried that such neglect could occur within their community.
They called for parents who abandon children because of superstition to be held accountable, while also urging government to strengthen support for vulnerable families.
In Ilemba Awori/ Ajangbadi, Ojo Local Government Area, residents were confronted with an even more tragic discovery when a newborn boy was found dead inside a sack at a dumpsite on Ajakaiye Street.
Henry Alphonsus, a shop owner who said he was the first person to discover the baby, described the incident as “cruelty of the highest order.”
Another resident, Mummy Uche, said the discovery left the community devastated.
“The baby was already dead. Only God knows who kept the baby there. Wicked world. Why do people make babies they can’t keep and cater for?” she asked.
In Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, residents also raised the alarm after a newborn girl was found abandoned, wrapped in a shawl and crying.
A resident, Mrs Deborah, said the incident was difficult to comprehend.
“It was like I was watching a movie. Why would a mother just dump a newborn like that?” she asked, adding that the baby appeared hungry but otherwise in good condition.
Another resident said the discovery was painful because the baby appeared healthy and well cared for before being abandoned.
Following the discovery, residents contacted the police and the baby was taken to the Adeniji Adele Police Division.
Similar incidents have also been reported in other parts of the state.
In Oko Oba, a day-old baby was rescued on Oladejo Street after residents alerted the police, while in Orile, Apapa-Iganmu, passers-by reportedly discovered a one-monthold baby near a petrol station and alerted the Orile Police Division.
The incidents have prompted renewed calls for government intervention, including stronger prosecution of offenders and greater support for families facing economic hardship.
1,437 cases handled by Child Protection Unit
The Lagos State Government says it has handled thousands of interventions involving children facing abuse, trafficking, neglect and abandonment.
Speaking during the 2026 Ministerial briefing in Ikeja in June, the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, said the ministry’s Child Protection Unit handled 1,437 reported cases involving child abuse, trafficking, abandonment, neglect and other welfare-related issues during the period under review.
He said the ministry also carried out 5,708 child protection interventions, including rescue operations, investigations, counselling, legal support, rehabilitation, placement services and psychosocial assistance for affected children and families.
According to him, 520 cases were successfully concluded through various disposition pathways.
Ogunlende said the figures reflected the administration’s efforts to strengthen child protection systems and safeguard vulnerable children from abuse, exploitation, violence and neglect.
The post Babies in the rubble: Inside Lagos’ growing child abandonment crisis appeared first on Vanguard News.
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ON a rainy Tuesday morning in Ikeja, sanitation workers made a grim discovery. Tucked inside a carton by a roadside drain was a newborn, still with the umbilical cord attached and wrapped in a thin cloth.
The post Babies in the rubble: Inside Lagos’ growing child abandonment crisis appeared first on Vanguard News.
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