A breastfeeding mother, Zara Muhammad, has been hospitalised after she was allegedly severely burnt with hot water by her stepmother in the Kofa area of Maiduguri, Borno State.
The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday following a disagreement between the two women.
A neighbour, also identified as Zara, said residents rushed to the scene after hearing the victim’s screams and allegedly found her stepmother pressing her onto spilled hot water.
“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,” the neighbour said.
The victim said the dispute began when her daughter attempted to enter her stepmother’s room. According to her, the stepmother stopped the child, prompting her to intervene and take her daughter away.
She alleged that the disagreement escalated after three days, culminating in the attack.
“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.
Residents alleged that the victim had endured hardship and maltreatment following her pregnancy after her partner reportedly abandoned her.
They further claimed that her parents had pressured her to terminate the pregnancy, which she refused, and that she was subsequently subjected to neglect and starvation during disagreements at home.
The victim’s father, however, denied allegations that his daughter was neglected or that he attempted to shield his wife from the consequences of the alleged attack.
“She was even taken to hospital,” he said.
Following intervention by the Borno State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Zuweira Gambo, a response team evacuated the victim to a medical facility for treatment.
The alleged attacker was also arrested and placed in security custody.
(Daily Trust)
