12-hour- old baby dies as Boko Haram attacks Chibok villages

A 12-hour-old baby girl died of suffocation after suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked Bambatsu and Ngadarma villages in Chibok, Borno State, on Thursday evening, in a coordinated raid that also killed six other residents.

A family in Chibok Local Government Area, Borno State, was meant to be celebrating a new life. Instead, they are mourning one. A baby girl, born just 12 hours earlier, died of suffocation after suspected Boko Haram insurgents stormed her community on Thursday evening, throwing residents into panic as they fled for their lives.

As reported by Vanguard, the attackers invaded Bambatsu and Ngadarma villages in Mbalala Ward at around 7 p.m., before advancing toward the nearby Mussa community. The infant’s mother, still weak from childbirth just hours before, was unable to flee with the rest of her family. She reportedly hid inside a toilet for safety, while the newborn was left unattended amid the chaos and died.

The coordinated attacks claimed six other lives — five in Bambatsu and one in Ngadarma — and were believed to be carried out by the same group responsible for a recent assault on Mussa Primary and Secondary Schools in Askira-Uba Local Government Area. Several homes were razed, and livestock and foodstuffs destroyed in the raids.

Speaking to reporters, resident Paul Mauntayhaga said the baby, born to a woman identified as Sangula Happy’s wife, was “lost due to fear, confusion and lack of immediate assistance and treatment as everyone was running for their lives.” He said the mother remains “very weak and heartbroken” after losing her daughter. The victims were buried on Friday, in accordance with their religious beliefs.