FIJ
A court in East London, United Kingdom (UK), has conducted an inquest and heard that Mazeedat Adeoye, a two-year-old Nigerian baby, died after her mother left her with strangers.
According to the UK Sun, the toddler tragically drowned in a garden bin after Balikis Adeoye, her mother, was forced to leave her in the care of strangers on January 29, 2022.
The court also heard that the reason Balikis was forced to leave Mazeedat with the strangers was that she needed to urgently visit the deceased’s three-month-old brother who was undergoing heart surgery at a hospital at the time.
“I struggle to find the words to describe the heartbreak I feel over Mazeedat’s death,” said Balikis during the inquest.
“She was the most beautiful and happy little girl who brought sunshine to my life.
“Before her birth, I only knew how to love myself. When she was born Mazeedat was the best thing that had happened in my life.
“I’ll always keep Mazeedat close to my heart and will forever cherish the short but precious years we had together.
“I just hope that by speaking out other families facing the same situation don’t have to experience the same pain I will always live with.”
Mazeeda’s body was found in a bin which contained nine centimetres of water.
Prior to Mazeedat’s death, Balikis, who had only just arrived in the UK in March 2021, said she had asked for foster placement help for her daughter from social services at Newham Council but no one offered any help.
She made the request at the time because she had no permanent place of residence.
In September 2021, her son, who is British, had been diagnosed with a hole in his heart.
At the time Balikis was referred to social services, she was classed as an overstayer because she had separated from her UK partner. She also did not have any support network that could assist her financially.
The inquest later concluded that Mazeedat died due to “gross failure” caused by inadequate supervision in the garden, failures by those caring for Mazeedat and the council.
A post-mortem examination also found the toddler’s cause of death to be drowning.
It has now been concluded that the inquest report would be reviewed and worked on to prevent a future occurrence.
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN FIJ
