Baby dumping is one of the most common forms of child abuse in Nigeria.
Although this practice is not new, its current frequent occurrence and the negative
implications it has on the babies concerned, however, makes it a serious social problem
that requires urgent attention. Against this background, this paper examines the patterns,
causes, and consequences of the baby-dumping phenomenon in Nigeria. One hundred
(100) market women involved in the study were selected through a quota sampling
technique. In-depth interview and focus group discussion were the methods employed
for data collection. Data interpretation was done through content analysis and
ethnographic summaries. Findings showed that the phenomenon of baby dumping is
complex in nature: Multiple factors were identified as responsible for its occurrence and
it was recognized to have a wide range of social and health implications on the dumped
babies. This study advocates for an urgent shift from the current reactive approach to
more proactive planning to effectively curtail the problem.