Residents of Obakhavbaye Street in Benin City, Edo State were thrown into mourning on Wednesday following the death of an eight-month-old baby.
The boy, identified as Abdulaziz Abubakar Aji, was reportedly found dead inside a plastic water container in his father’s room after he was earlier declared missing.
Sources told journalists that the baby, who was the second child of his mother, was declared missing before 6: am on Wednesday morning.
It was gathered that family, friends and neighbours formed a search team to look for the little boy but to no avail.
Sources said the baby’s father, Abubakar Aji, later discovered the lifeless body of his son inside a plastic container filled with water when he was about to take water from it.
Meanwhile, it was further gathered that the father of the baby had earlier in the week married a new wife, and some residents alleged that the sudden disappearance of the baby and the discovery of his body in a water can, may not be unconnected to the step-mother.
Sources, who suspected foul play, noted that the mother of the late boy went to the toilet and on getting into her room found that her child was no longer in the room, which triggered the search for the little boy.
They said the perpetrator of the evil act must have capitalised on the absence of the mother to dump the baby inside the water container to drown.
The baby’s parents declined to speak with journalists, but the landlord, Ali-Isu Abubakar, who described the incident as unfortunate, said the boy was his favourite child in the compound.
Reports said officers from Aideyan Police Divisional headquarters have arrested the father and mother of the boy, as well as the second wife.
