By Ugbor Samuel, Abakaliki

Fear gripped residents of Effium community, in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, until Tuesday, as a mad woman carried dead baby on her back, for over a week.

The mad woman, it was gathered, came to the community some months ago from unknown destination and found an abode in an uncompleted one-storey, opposite a transport company, but all of a sudden discovered to was carrying a dead baby.

The development caused fear of a possible outbreak of diseases in the area, as the mad woman, roamed the nook and crannies of the community, with the dead baby on her back.

A strong community source, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The mad woman came to Effium community a couple of months ago, from an unknown destination, because nobody can trace her origin for now. She came into Effium, and found an uncompleted one-storey building, opposite Christ Light Transport Company where she was staying.

“Along the line, people discovered that she was carrying a lifeless or dead baby at her back. She was roaming the nook and crannies of Effium, with that dead baby at her back. It became too obvious and the odour started chasing people away. It was at this point that people ran to the Police and reported the matter.”

The source added, “The Police now alerted the two Coordinators in the area, that’s Hon. Agbo Sunday of Effium Development Centre, and Mrs Eucharia Ogwale of Effium South Development Centre. The two Coordinators mobilised some youths in the area to disposess the mad woman of the dead baby.

“But the woman was resistant and so, it was difficult to get the dead baby from her. The mad woman vehemently resisted the youths from collecting the baby from her, maybe, because she felt that was all she had. However, the youths were smart enough and played over her intelligence, overpowered her and eventually collected the baby from her, on yesterday (Tuesday).

“The baby was already decomposing on her back, because she has carried it for over one week or so. Fortunely, they youths collected the baby from the mad woman and it (the baby) was buried at the cemetery on Tuesday (yesterday).

Another source stressed, “The situation threw the community fear of possible outbreak of diseases, because this was dead human being, which was being carried around for over a week, by a mad woman. So it created some sort of fear in the community.”

When contacted, the Coordinator of Effium Development Centre, Hon Agbo Sunday, confirmed that the baby was buried on Tuesday, saying people were already going about their normal businesses.

Hon Sunday said, “People should go about their businesses because bthe situation has been under control. The dead baby was buried on Tuesday.”

Efforts to reach the Ebonyi State Police Command for confirmation of the incident, proved abortive.

The Command’s spokesperson, Mrs Loveth Odah, was yet to respond to a text message sent to her line and return calls put across to her mobile, as of the time of filing this report.

Picture: Philip Maku, Police Commissioner, Ebonyi State