By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu Asaba
The wave of insecurity in Delta State has taken a disturbing turn, with criminals now targeting the most vulnerable infants. In a chilling incident that has shocked residents, a three-month-old baby identified as Pedro was abducted alongside his mother, Mrs. Marian Aganbi, by unknown gunmen along the Eku-Abraka Road in Ethiope East Local Government Area.
Family sources said the mother and baby were returning from a visit to Eku when the attack happened. The kidnappers have since made contact, demanding N15 million ransom for the woman and an additional N10 million for the infant a staggering N25 million in total.
A relative of the victims who spoke under condition of anonymity said, “We are in shock. Who demands ransom for a baby? This is beyond kidnapping; it is inhuman.”
Security agencies in the state are yet to make an official statement on the incident, but locals are calling for urgent intervention to rescue the victims and restore safety on the Eku-Abraka road, which has become notorious for criminal attacks.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Edo State, another newborn has faced a different kind of captivity this time at the hands of a public health institution.
Mr. Umoru Imokha Abdulahi from Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government, revealed that his wife and their newborn daughter were detained for 21 days at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) over unpaid medical bills. The baby was delivered through a Cesarean Section on March 20, and the family was held until they were able to pay over N240,000 out of a total bill of N330,000.
Contrary to reports that the Edo State Government intervened, Mr. Abdulahi insisted no such help came. “At no time during my ordeal at the hospital did I meet or receive any form of assistance from the state government,” he said at a press briefing held at the Edo NUJ Secretariat in Benin City.
He added that it was only after part payment and a plea for compassion that UBTH released his wife and child. Efforts to get a reaction from the hospital’s spokesperson, Mr. Joshua Uwaila, were unsuccessful as he declined to respond to multiple calls.
Both incidents one involving criminal abduction and the other institutional detention highlight the precarious reality facing young families in the region. From the roads to the hospitals, infants are becoming unintended victims of a broken system.