By Oginyi Ruth
The Nigeria Police Force, Ebonyi State Command has arraigned a 36-year-old man, Mr. Anthony Sunday for burying his 5-month-old daughter alive.
Mr. Sunday was said to have committed the act on May 26th, 2019 at Okwerike village Abaomege in Onicha local government area of Ebonyi State.
It was gathered that the wife of the suspect who sells kerosene had asked the husband to look after their baby to enable her draw money from her debtors so that she could go to the market the following day.
The suspect was said to have carried the baby after his wife left to bury her in a shallow grave.
The baby, Roseline, which he named after his own mother was sleeping when the suspect took her to a parcel of land behind yam ban in the village and buried her alive.
No one was said to be aware of Roseline’s disappearance and death until the mother came back and wanted to breastfeed her.
Mr. Sunday claimed not to know the whereabout of the baby.
The mother of the baby was said to have raised the alarm following her husband insistency on the whereabouts of the five-month-old baby.
The husband later confessed to have buried the girl alive when villagers apprehended him to provide the baby.
He was said to have fled to a neigbouring community in Cross River State, Igbo Ekwurukwu, after revealing the shallow grave to villagers.
He was later arrested by the police in Ebonyi State.
Consequently, on the 28th day of May, Anthony Sunday was arraigned before an Abakaliki Magistrate court presided over by Magistrate Ruth Okeh in a suit numbered MAB/357c/2019 for a count charge of causing death of Roseline by burying her alive.
Mr Sunday’s offence is punishable under section 319 (1) of criminal code cap 33 Vol.1 Laws of Ebonyi state of Nigeria, 2009.
The trial magistrate ruled during the arraignment that the offence was above the jurisdiction of the magistrate court.
She ordered that the suspect should be remanded in the Abakaliki Federal Prison and his file forward to with evidence to Director of public prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
The matter was adjourned to July 29th, 2019 for report of compliance at the High Court.
