Nursing Mother Hospitalised After Stepmother Allegedly Pours Hot Water On Her In Borno

A breastfeeding mother identified as Zara Muhammad has been hospitalised with severe burns after she was allegedly doused with hot water by her stepmother in the Kofa area of Maiduguri, Borno State, following a heated argument between the two women on Sunday, August 23.

Narrating her ordeal, Zara Muhammad said the trouble began after her daughter attempted to enter her stepmother's room.

According to her, the stepmother stopped the toddler, prompting her to step in and take her daughter away.

She said the tension simmered for three days before her stepmother allegedly threatened to withhold food from her and her child.

"When I replied that God would provide for me and my little girl, she rushed at me and pressed me into the boiling water she had spilled on the ground," she said.

A neighbour, also identified as Zara, said residents rushed to the scene after hearing the victim's screams.

"I rushed to the house and found the stepmother pressing the girl onto the spilled hot water. I scolded her and used all my strength to pull her away. Unfortunately, she had already suffered severe burns before we rescued her," she said.

Witnesses alleged that the victim was left in pain without adequate medical attention immediately after the attack.

Residents further claimed that Zara had endured hardship since becoming pregnant, after her lover reportedly abandoned her.

They alleged that her parents had pressured her to terminate the pregnancy, which she refused, and that following the birth of her child, she was subjected to starvation and maltreatment whenever disagreements arose at home, according to DailyTrust.

However, the victim's father dismissed claims of neglect or that he was shielding his wife, insisting that appropriate care had been given.

"She was even taken to hospital," he said.

Following the intervention of the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Zuweira Gambo, a response team evacuated the victim to a medical facility for treatment.

The stepmother has since been arrested and placed in security custody.