"Any Child Found in Ogun State Belongs to the State Government" Says Ogun Commissioner, Affirms Custody of Two-Day-Old-Baby Dumped in Ogun
By: Olufemi Orunsola
Following two viral videos of a woman who claimed that a two-day-old baby found in Ogun had gone missing after officials from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development intervened, urging “well‑meaning members of society to help me find the child," the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development has clarified that the baby in question is in good condition and was legally taken into protective custody by the ministry after due documentation by the police.
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA OTN News reports that the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Adijat Adeleye affirmed that the state has taken custody of a two‑day‑old baby dumped at Sayedero Market in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of the state.
OTN News further reports that the baby was found by a woman last week and handed over to the police.
However, in two viral videos, the woman claimed that the baby went missing after officials from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development intervened, urging “well‑meaning members of society to help me find the child.”
Adeleye made the clarification on Thursday while addressing newsmen in Abeokuta.
She affirmed that the actions of the woman in the video were a misguided attempt to “emotionally blackmail the government and mislead the public."
The commissioner also rejected the alleged planned adoption by the woman who found the baby.
Adeleye explained that, “We don’t normally allow those who know the history of a baby to adopt him or her because of the future. We don’t give a child out for adoption in an environment where their stories are known.”
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development declared that the baby now belongs to Governor Dapo Abiodun, whom she described as “the father of all rescued babies in the state until adoption.”
In her words,,“Any child found in Ogun State belongs to the state government. They are all children of the governor and that’s why whenever we are naming them, their surname is that of the governor of the day.
“It’s not something that started with Prince Dapo Abiodun, it’s something that has been there. You see some children, they bear Daniel (referring to former Governor Gbenga Daniel); some of them, their surname is Amosun (referring to former Governor Ibikunle Amosun) and some of them, their surname is Abiodun, depending on when they’re found.”
She further noted that while there are laid‑down rules and guidelines for adopting a child in the state, no orphanage or individual has the right to put a child up for adoption without approval from the Ministry.
She warned that anyone found doing so will be charged with abduction and made to face the full weight of the law.
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