Source: Vanguard
When news spread that Oyinlola Diana Rotimi, a 400 level student at the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, allegedly attempted to flush her child down the toilet, there were criticisms and counter-criticisms.
This prompted this reporter to unravel the circumstances that led to the incident.
The Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr. Abiodun Olanrewaju, in a release, had debunked the rumour, saying that the lady never intended to terminate the baby's life but gave birth before due date as she was said to be ignorant of child delivery.
"The truth," the image maker said, "is that there was a delivery of a baby boy by an inexperienced mother who, in her naivety, thought she was pressed by call of nature while she was actually in labour pains.
"Prior to the child's delivery, the young, inexperienced mother was bleeding and went to the toilet only to discover that something expelled into the water closet.
"It is overwhelming, it's unexplainable; I can't explain it. I don't know how I feel but it's really great and wonderful." Those were the words of Oyinlola Rotimi, when our correspondent sought to know how she felt about the birth of the baby boy. She said the allegation that she wanted to flush the baby was untrue.
"It is not true at all. It is blatant lie. I was purging through out the night and I had no idea what labour pain was. Actually, I can't call it labour pain because I was going to the toilet throughout the night till that fateful morning.
"I went through pain going to the toilet all through the night. I went to the toilet that morning to defecate. There was this force that just came out and the baby came out and entered into the closet. I was just there standing and bleeding. People came out when they saw blood coming out of the toilet to help me. It was a friend, Satope, who approached the toilet and found the baby that called an elderly cleaner for assistance.
Oyinlola said she was scared because she was not expecting the baby that day. "Seeing the baby was terrifying because I was not expecting the baby to come out yet.
She debunked insinuations that she attempted running away when one of the cleaners saw her. "That is untrue! Moremi hostel's toilet is a public place where everybody comes in almost at the same time. People were everywhere while I was in the toilet. Just like me, everybody was scared when they saw me and they had to call the cleaner for help because she is an elderly person.