NewStats: 3,262,849 , 8,178,352 topics. Date: Tuesday, 03 June 2025 at 07:34 PM 5c653q

A toddler tragically drowned in a garden bin after her mum was forced to leave her with a stranger to visit her sick baby in hospital.

Nigerian Mum-of-two, Balikis Adeoye has come out to speak of her heartbreak after losing her "beautiful and happy" two-year-old daughter Mazeedat.

The devastated parent told an inquest she "didn't know or trust well enough" the people looking after her daughter when the horror unfolded on January 29, 2022. But, she felt forced to leave Mazeedat with them, in order to be with her three-month-old baby who was having heart surgery in hospital.

The little girl was tragically discovered at the property in Dagenham a few hours after an alarm was raised.

She was found in a bin which contained nine centimetres of water.

Balikis told an inquest at East London Coroner's Court she asked for help from social services at Newham Council but claimed no one had tried to find a foster parent for her daughter.

She said: "I struggle to find the words to describe the heartbreak I feel over Mazeedat's death.

"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."

The inquest heard how Balikis moved to the UK from Nigeria in March 2021 and on September, her baby son, who is British, had been diagnosed with a hole in his heart.

Balikis had first been referred to Newham Council four months before Mazeedat's death because she was living on sofas with no permanent home.

She told the inquest she requested a foster placement for her daughter, while she stayed with her son who was having heart surgery in hospital.

At the time Balikis was referred to social services, she was classified as an overstayer because she had separated from her UK partner and therefore couldn’t access public funds.

But the inquest heard social workers did not arrange a placement and advised the mum-of-two, who had no network, to ask friends for help instead.

This meant Balikis was forced to leave Mazeedat with a carer she "didn't know or trust well enough" in order to be with her son on January 25, 2022.

Balikis said: "At the time she died, Mazeedat was staying with people I didn't know or trust well enough.

"However, I felt that I had no choice but to leave her in their care.

"Faced with the alternative of leaving my other child, a three-month-old baby alone in hospital to recover from heart surgery, this was no choice at all."

The mum-of-two said she "consistently" pleaded for help but "none was arranged".

The toddler was reported missing on January 29 and discovered in the garden a few hours later.

The inquest concluded that two-year-old Mazeedat died due to "gross failure" due to inadequate supervision in the garden, failures by those caring for Mazeedat and the council.

A post-mortem examination found her cause of death was drowning.

Coroner Graeme Irvine added: “Local authority child services failed to Mazeedat's family and put in place appropriate for Mazeedat's care.”

The coroner found if the "missed opportunity" to secure the two-year-old a foster placement had been taken, her death probably could have been avoided.

He told the inquest he now plans to write a prevention of future deaths report.

A spokesperson for Newham Council said: "We were devastated by Mazeedat's tragic death. Our thoughts remain with her family and loved ones.

"After the terrible accident which led to her death in January 2022 we undertook an investigation into our role and since that time our social work practice and approach has been overhauled - a change, which has since been recognised by Ofsted who now rate our services as 'Good'.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/32029972/toddler-drown-garden-bin-mum-carer/

Sad.

May ALLAH console you and make it a reason for you to enter Jannah

Why's her situation in UK that pathetic to the extent
of sleeping on sofa without a permanent home and asking for placement for a 2 year old?

And she got pregnant with a British son in that condition too.

Was she prohibited from bringing her toddler along while visiting her sick brother ?

It's situations like this that makes one value family and community one gets back home.

This story elicits lots and lots of questions though.

Sorry...

Moreinfo.

https://www.irwinmitchell.com/news-and-insights/newsandmedia/2024/november/girl-drowned-in-bin-following-gross-failure-after-newham-council-failed-to-arrange-foster-placement

You japa go Yankee to find greener pastures for your child, but your child ended up becoming food for their green pastures, irony of life.

I don't want to blame or shame the bereaved mother but she should have taken the toddler with her to the hospital or squeeze out money to take her to a daycare. May God console her and rest the soul of the poor baby

So painful!

I wish she had a system, even the local mosque she attends or Nigerian community to rely on.

The Nigerians in the UK are not very communal-minded, everyone is in their own enclaves and mind their business. Even when they form groups, it's rarely to help out but how to benefit from taking advantage of one another.

Nigerians are not very helpful in general.

If she was Indian, a family would have taken that toddler in.

We need to do better as a society.

I hate carelessness..

In this life, you have to be fictional through constant imagination of negative events happening as if they are real.. My woman said I think of bad things a lot, I told her it's the only way I escape from them..

I'm leaving my baby with you, a lot will run through the nerves of my mind if you are capable.. instead of bad things to happen, make rain fall

It's well madam

Painful

Really sad but the mother was careless.

I work in children social care with a London borough. She is an overstayer and that makes her continued stay in the UK, illegal and boroughs are already overwhelmed with requests for foster care from parents who are British. The cost for a week foster care for a toddler could be a minimum of about £600 (N1.3m per week) and local authorities are not eager to spend public funds on persons who is illegal in the Country.

So sad

Onegai:
So painful!

I wish she had a system, even the local mosque she attends or Nigerian community to rely on.

The Nigerians in the UK are not very communal-minded, everyone is in their own enclaves and mind their business. Even when they form groups, it's rarely to help out but how to benefit from taking advantage of one another.

Nigerians are not very helpful in general.

If she was Indian, a family would have taken that toddler in.

We need to do better as a society.

Well Said....

Nigerians regardless of where they are are predators looking for Prey ....
Police
Army
Navy
customs
frsc
lastma
Kai
landlord
your neigbours
Bus drivers
Traders in the market
Banks
Big corporations
Everybody ......
Are Nigerians Looking to Take Advantage of Other Nigerians ....when the opportunity present itself

2aces:
You japa go Yankee to find greener pastures for your child, but your child ended up becoming food for their green pastures, irony of life.

she go born another child.

Musty112:
May ALLAH console you and make it a reason for you to enter Jannah

May God not allah console her

Another irresponsible mother, she has not confessed who she truly went to visit. Do hospitals in the UK bar women from taking children to the hospital to visit a relative. She is using her crocodile tears to cover for her callousness.

Newlymarried:


https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/32029972/toddler-drown-garden-bin-mum-carer/

So sad.
May God give her strength

It is difficult to be a single parent in abroad..... Even two parent household I advocate one of the couple should not work full time...it is difficult to get someone to care for your kids abroad

From the story she had a partner, but they're no longer together, she's even overstaying... Omo, your son is sick and your daughter died... Which kind wahala bdis
May we not japa to shege o

doggedfighter:
Why's her situation in UK that pathetic to the extent sleeping on sofa without a permanent home and asking for placement for a 2 year old?

And she got pregnant with a British son in that condition too.

Was she prohibited from bringing her toddler along while visiting her sick brother ?

It's situations like this that makes one value family and community one gets back home.

My questions exactly. In the search for a better life, may we not encounter this kind of harrowing tragedy

My advice to parents planning to travel is to leave your young children with trusted relatives in Nigeria, such as their grandparents, your siblings, or any reliable family member. Another option is to enroll them in a boarding school. Life abroad is not set up for you to focus on babysitting while trying to achieve your main goal of working hard and earning money. Isn’t that why you traveled in the first place? Please think about this carefully.

This baby died due to carelessness

Man go carry una japa, una go enter finish and say you no longer need him.

According to the article

Aunty came to UK on her husband's visa in March 2021.

But shortly after, her husband was not good enough for her and she cut off from him. This point was clearly stated in the article that she couldn't obtain public funds as she cut off from her husband n became an overstayer.

January 2022, a mere 8 months after landing in the UK, her child which ordinarily would have been with the father to look after was left in the hands of strangers n drowned.

Madam, you doomed the fate of that child the day you left the man that brought you to UK. Pikin was constantly sleeping on a sofa.

Toddlers are always very inquisitive and require very close monitoring or else accidents such as this can occur

my condolences.

Anyway, Agriculture is life

Too bad

2aces:
You japa go Yankee to find greener pastures for your child, but your child ended up becoming food for their green pastures, irony of life.

UK not Yankee

Single murder problem I guess ... Oya Autobot over to you ... Becasue it seems you are seeing your period for banning now as I am collecting it back to back ... It help me sit on my hands for a while so please I beg you ban me again so I can find more productive things to do .. chigamadre!

nawa o