Pregnant Captives Give Birth in Bandits' Den: Two Sokoto Kidnap Victims Deliver Babies Amid Ongoing Ordeal
In a tragic development that underscores the brutality of prolonged captivity in Nigeria's bandit-plagued northwest, two of eight people abducted in Sokoto State have given birth while still held hostage in the criminals' hideout. The victims—one delivering a baby boy and the other a baby girl—endured their pregnancies and labours in the harsh conditions of the bandits' den, without access to proper medical care or humanitarian aid, according to sources close to the families. The abductions occurred several weeks ago, with the group consisting of five women and three men taken by armed bandits operating in the region. A relative of the victims, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, confirmed the births took place approximately seven weeks into their captivity. "The situation is heartbreaking," the relative said. "These women were pregnant at the time of their abduction, and now they have delivered in such terrible conditions—far from hospitals, family...