Police Arrest Benue Woman For Killing 11-Month-Old Daughter

A woman named Sughshater Ushahemba, residing in the Mbadyur council ward within the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, has been arrested on charges of killing her 11-month-old daughter through poisoning.

According to information gathered from the community, the woman is accused of administering a substance, believed to be a chemical, to the baby during the early hours of Saturday.

Another source claimed that the woman confessed to feeding the baby the substance after the child developed a high temperature on Saturday morning, leading to her demise.

The woman’s attempt to bury the deceased child reportedly led to her apprehension.

However, contradicting accounts emerged, as Paul Pevikyaa, the Information Officer for Logo LGA, stated on Monday that the woman had initially informed people that the baby fell ill around 12:31 am and succumbed to the illness two hours later.

He said, “When the woman was interviewed, she (the woman) said when they were asleep, around 12.31 am, the baby started having a 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 daybreak; 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 her boyfriend impregnated her, 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.

In the meantime, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Benue State Command, SP Catherine Anene, has verified the incident, stating that the suspect is presently in police custody.