Officials of the Gender Based Violence Response Team of the Vicar Hope Foundation have rescued a two-year-old boy locked up for several days in an uncompleted building in Umuahia, Abia State.
The child was found to be suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and malnourishment, in the building located at Zone 5, Agbama Housing Estate.
Reports say the mother of the boy allegedly locked up him up.
According to the Programme Manager of the foundation, Mr. Raymond Ukwa, the organisation had received a call on April 28 from landlords and neighbours around the uncompleted building, reporting that a child had been locked up in an un-completed building.
Raymond Ukwa said after informing the Umuahia Area Command of the Nigeria Police, the foundation, accompanied by police officers, broke into the building where the child was found and rescued.
Neighbours around the building alleged that the parent of the child usually locked him for days without food or water.
They added that they sometimes threw in crumbs of food for the baby through a crack in the wall of the building.
Confirming the incident, the Assistant Secretary, Board of Trustees of the Foundation, Mr. Chika Ojiegbe, said the child was resuscitated, examined by medical personnel and taken to a safe place.
He added that relevant authorities have begun investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abandonment.
As at press time, the suspected mother who had allegedly locked up the child is yet to be found 24 hours after boy was rescued.
