Kaduna woman gives birth while in captivity, escapee reports

A woman kidnapped during an Easter church service in Ariko village, located in the Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has reportedly given birth while confined in a bandits’ camp, as disclosed by an escapee who managed to flee.

According to Kaduna Political Affairs, The information was posted on Facebook by Reuben Buhari, a former media aide to the late Governor Patrick Yakowa, drawing from the account of a woman who escaped after three days of trekking through the woods.

The survivor recounted that the pregnant woman went into labor roughly a week ago under dire circumstances, without any medical assistance. Other female captives provided support during the delivery using the scant resources available in the camp.

She detailed how the women, already weakened from hunger and harsh living conditions, did their best to help with the birth. Lacking medical equipment, one of the women eventually used her teeth to cut the baby’s umbilical cord after a wait of about an hour.

The escapee also mentioned that requests for water to clean the mother and newborn were refused, and efforts to reach a nearby stream for washing were similarly denied by the captors.

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She stated that the new mother, who was suffering from illness and starvation, initially found it difficult to produce breast milk due to severe malnutrition. However, feeding became feasible as her milk supply began to improve over time.

The survivor recounted that with the arrival of rain, the captives used a wet cloth to clean the newborn, as they still had no access to clean water.

When she escaped, the baby was five days old and alive, although the umbilical wound had yet to heal completely.

In addition to the childbirth account, the escapee described the overall conditions in the camp as extremely harsh, characterized by widespread hunger, poor sanitation, and lack of healthcare. She claimed that many women and children were suffering from skin infections and that lice infestations were prevalent among the captives.