A video circulating on social media shows a newborn baby abandoned by the roadside in one of the northern states — a stark reminder of the reproductive health crisis facing girls and women in a country where meaningful choice over their bodies remains severely restricted.
In the video, the newborn is discovered by two men who appear to be security personnel. They are heard speaking Hausa, expressing shock and concern as they find the infant still covered in blood and wrapped in cloth. The circumstances suggest the baby may have been delivered recently and left at the scene.
The incident comes at a time when the National Assembly of Nigeria’s upper chamber, the Senate of Nigeria, has stepped down consideration of a contentious amendment bill that would impose a 10-year jail term for people found guilty of supplying drugs or instruments used to procure abortions.
The bill in question, the Criminal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (concurrence version) , which originates from the House of Representatives of Nigeria, sought to amend the Criminal Code Act (Chapter 77) (applicable in southern states) by increasing the current maximum punishment for supplying abortion-related materials from three years to ten years without the option of a fine.
During plenary, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, presented the concurrence bill alongside two other bills, namely the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill and the Dietician Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill.
However, the Senate suspended further consideration following heated debate and “confusion” over how to determine what constitutes an unlawful abortion. Some senators argued that medical necessity or economic hardship may justify termination, and thus blanket criminalization could endanger lives or discourage legitimate medical care.
For example, Saliu Mustapha (Kwara Central) urged that abortions performed for health or religious reasons should not be automatically treated as criminal. Similarly, Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) warned that unclear legislation could deter doctors from helping women in emergency situations.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, accordingly referred the bill to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further review, with senators directing a report back within two weeks.
Why this matters in sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) terms:
- The abandonment of a newborn underscores the urgent consequences of restricted reproductive rights: when pregnant adolescents or women lack access to safe, legal options or face social pressures, the outcomes can include unsafe terminations or heartbreaking infant abandonment.
- The legislative impasse signals that this country remains in a grey zone: while the existing law under the Criminal Code (Sections 228-230) already criminalises abortion and the supply of abortion tools, with up to 14 years for a doctor inducing abortion (Section 228), up to 7 years for a woman procuring abortion (Section 229) and up to 3 years for supplying instruments/materials (Section 230) in the southern states.
- The proposed tougher penalty (10 years) would heighten legal risks, but the lack of clarity around “unlawful” vs “lawful” abortion may create chilling effects for medical providers and pregnant persons, potentially increasing unsafe practices.
- On the advocacy front, this moment presents an opportunity: reform efforts must include clearer definitions, alignment with international standards on bodily autonomy, expanded access to contraceptive services, safe post-abortion care, and social protection for vulnerable newborns.
Women News Today Urges SRHR stakeholders:
- Monitor the Committee’s review process and ensure health-sector voices (clinicians, midwives, youth advocates) are part of shaping any final text so that medical necessity and adolescent rights are captured.
- Use the newborn abandonment case as a tangible narrative to illustrate what happens when reproductive choice is constrained, linking policy, service delivery and human outcomes.
- Advocate for parallel pathways: while the legal framework is negotiated, push for improved access to family planning, adolescent-friendly services, safe delivery, newborn welfare systems and social protection.
- Prepare for next steps: once the committee reports back, the bill may return to plenary or be taken to conference/committee of harmonisation, being ready with evidence, position briefs and coalition voices will be valuable.
click on the link to watch video
