By Our Correspondent
A woman abducted during an Easter church service in Ariko village has given birth inside a bandits’ camp, in what survivors describe as a heartbreaking struggle for survival amid extreme hunger, disease and neglect.
The woman, who remains in captivity alongside dozens of other kidnapped worshippers, delivered the baby about a week ago after spending nearly two months in the custody of armed bandits.
Her story emerged through another female captive who recently escaped from the camp after trekking through the bush for three days.
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The survivor’s account reveals the harsh conditions under which women, children and men have been living since they were abducted during the Easter attack on their church.
According to the escapee, the pregnant woman had become severely malnourished and was already ill when labour pains began.
“There was no medicine, no nurse, no doctor and no clean water,” she recalled. “We were all afraid because she was very weak.”
With no access to healthcare, women in the camp who had experience assisting childbirth rallied around the expectant mother. Relying solely on traditional knowledge and determination, they helped her through a difficult labour.
Against the odds, both mother and child survived the delivery.
But the challenges did not end there.
The women had nothing prepared for the newborn. Their clothes had not been washed since they were abducted weeks earlier, yet those worn-out garments became the only materials available.
They tore pieces from their clothing and used them to wrap the baby.
The situation became even more desperate when the women needed to cut the umbilical cord.
Repeated appeals to the bandits for a razor blade, knife or any sharp object were reportedly rejected.
For about an hour, the newborn remained attached to the mother as the women searched for a solution.
Eventually, one of the women resorted to using her teeth to sever the umbilical cord.
“It was done out of desperation,” the escapee said.
The women then begged the bandits for water to clean both mother and child.
Their request was denied.
According to the witness, the bandits dismissed their pleas, reportedly saying they would not waste water on a child they believed would not survive.
Even requests to visit a nearby stream were refused.
Hours passed as the newborn remained unwashed.
The mother’s condition also raised fresh concerns.
Weeks of inadequate feeding had left her body severely weakened. When she attempted to breastfeed, no milk came out.
The women feared the baby might die from starvation within hours of being born.
Gradually, however, a small amount of breast milk began to flow, allowing the infant to suckle.
Then came an unexpected lifeline.
As the women continued pleading for water, rain began to fall.
They quickly soaked pieces of cloth in the rainwater and used them to gently clean the baby and the mother.
Five days later, when the escapee left the camp, the child was still alive.
The survivor said part of the umbilical cord attached to the baby’s navel had not yet detached, but the newborn had managed to survive the critical first days of life.
Beyond the remarkable story of the baby’s birth lies a wider humanitarian tragedy.
The woman described widespread hunger, illness and suffering among the captives.
According to her, many children are covered with painful, pus-filled rashes while lice infest the hair of both women and children.
Food is scarce.
Women are sometimes taken into the bush to gather leaves, which are boiled and eaten.
“There was a time we survived for five days on nothing but boiled leaves and water,” she said.
To ease the pain of hunger, young children are often encouraged to drink large quantities of river water in the hope that it will make them feel full.
The conditions facing male captives are equally grim.
The survivor said the men remain chained with bicycle chains and are only occasionally allowed to move under close supervision.
Sometimes they are taken into the forest to pluck mangoes, which are then shared among the captives as meals.
Basic hygiene has become a luxury.
The captives reportedly bathe only once every seven to ten days.
Even then, women and men are escorted in groups to a river under armed guard.
The survivor described the humiliation of being watched while bathing.
She also alluded to other disturbing experiences endured by captives but declined to discuss them publicly.
As families continue to wait for the return of their loved ones, the birth of a child in captivity has become both a symbol of hope and a reminder of the suffering that continues unseen in the forests.
Nearly 60 days after their abduction, women, children and men remain trapped in conditions marked by hunger, disease and uncertainty.
For relatives anxiously awaiting their return, every day brings fresh concern.
For the newborn child, life has begun under circumstances few can comprehend—a fragile existence sustained by the determination of fellow captives and the instinctive will to survive.
The story of the infant born in captivity now stands as one of the most poignant reminders of the human cost of Nigeria’s ongoing insecurity crisis.
