KAI Rescues Mother, Five-Month-Old Baby From Lagos Canal
A five-month-old baby girl and her mother have been rescued from a canal at Abule-Ado along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, raising fresh concerns about the safety and welfare of young children exposed to hazardous environments.
The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, also known as KAI, rescued the mother and child during routine clearance operations in the area on Wednesday.
The agency’s spokesperson, Lukman Ajayi, said the mother told operatives that she was running from her husband, who lived in FESTAC. However, she could not satisfactorily explain why she and the child were found in the canal.
Ajayi said the baby was in poor health when the operatives found them. Both mother and child were subsequently taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
From a child protection perspective, the incident highlights the risks children face when families experiencing difficult circumstances are left without safe accommodation and support.
The latest rescue comes about two weeks after KAI found four nursing mothers and their children living at an illegal dumpsite in Agboju, also along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
One of the children found at the dumpsite was only nine days old. The environment was reportedly characterised by filth, poor air quality and inadequate access to basic necessities.
The repeated incidents point to the need for stronger coordination between environmental enforcement authorities, health services and social welfare agencies to identify vulnerable families early and provide safe shelter, healthcare and other essential support.
Protecting children in such situations requires more than removing them from immediate danger. It also requires addressing the circumstances that place them at risk in the first place.
