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Baby in black bag
The baby was wrapped in a black polyethene bag when Nwabugwu picked it at a dumpsite located between General Hospital, Offa and Mountain of Fire and Miracle Church (MFM). The corps member who hails from Nnobi, Idemili Local Government Area, Anambra State was on her way to the church for a programme on the fateful Saturday.

Narrating how she summoned the courage to the pick the child in the dustbin she said the child was crying non-stop. She said inspite of the child's cry; nobody summoned the courage to rescue it. “I was on my way to the church for our Saturday programme, I saw a crowd gathered near a dumpsite. When I got there I heard the cry of a baby. I made the move to go and pick the baby. The people were discouraging me”.

Baby for ritual
The corps member who is newly married is yet to have a baby. She told Saturday Sun that why People discouraged her from saving the bay was because they assumed the child would have been used for ritual.

Meanwhile the Good Samaritan said she refused to listen to them. “As I continue to hear the cry of pains from the child something in me told me not to mind what the people are saying. I brought out the baby from the bin. As I unwrap the baby, people ran closer to see. I called the Pastor of MFM on phone to narrate what happened to him.''

Ants eating up the baby
Nwabugwu said it was discovered that the black ants have invaded the black polyethene bag. They had already started eating up the baby. They were all over the baby's body. Some parts of the flesh were already bitten open by the ants. As a result of this she took the baby and proceeded to the General Hospital immediately.

Hospital threw us away
In the hospital she said the baby was cleaned up. The sex of the baby was also known. She is female. But the corps member received the shock of her life in what happened next. According to her. “I was given attention by the Maternity session of the hospital. When I got to the hospital, I paid for the consultation card. They bathed the baby. But Igot a shocker of my life when the hospital eventually refused to attend to me. The Hospital sent me away with the baby. When I insisted that I would not go, I was told it was because they discovered the baby was an abandoned child. They said they do not attend to such case.''

Going to the police
Frustrated from the unfortunate treatment at the hospital, the corps member proceeded to the police station with the baby. She said as she lodged the complaint, she was told to make a statement. And also to bring a witness. So she called the Pastor of MFM on phone again telling him to come and testify in the police over the baby. Narrating the kindness displayed by the police, Nwabugwu said: “Before the Pastor could come, the Divisional Police Officer, a woman, accompanied me to purchase drugs. Subsequently the Pastor arrived and made a statement as a witness. We were asked o come back on Monday.

She said before going to the Station on Monday, she went to the Market with a female Police and the baby. There Market women and others gave gift items to the baby. The items are baby's clothes and shoes as well as money.

The baby's whereabouts unknown
The baby was taken to the Welfare section of the Local Government Area. The police instructed them there to issue form to Nwabugwu to fill. Another amazing thing happened again. As the form was being awaited, a hired taxi cab came and picked the baby. The corps member said all the effort she made to join the taxi or to know where the baby was being taken to hit the rocks.

Afraid over the fate of the child, Nwabugwu rushed back to the Police Station to complain. A Police officer was given to her from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). As she got to the Local Government Secretariat with the CID, they learnt through his interrogation of the people there that the baby had been taken to a Motherless babies home in Ilorin.

“I insisted that I should be taken to the home to see the baby. I received a bigger shock when I got there. They told me that they do not know me. As such they would not allow me see the baby. But I narrated the details of the baby and myself.” It would take a lot more effort and pressure before she would be allowed to see the baby.

Christening the baby
“As all these were happening” the corps member revealed, “what was going through my mind is the name to give to the baby. And because in my place names are given to babies due to the events surrounding the baby or the experience of the parents, I decided to call her Oluchukwu. The meaning is God's work. You can agree with me that it is God's work and doing that brought about her being picked up by me. I mean if God did not give me that courage, the innocent child would have died. The English name I gave to her is Favour. Of course, the name is self-explanatory.

The child has been favoured by God. I can say that I have been favoured as well. Given the opportunity, I would like to adopt the baby. I mean she needs a mother. I would love to play that role for Favour as I have already named her. It is all about God's work. Also the pressure I had the day I picked the baby is one reason that would make me want to be the mother. In fact God has a purpose for Oluchukwu. I want that to be achieved through me.''

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