A breastfeeding mother, Zara Muhammad, has been hospitalised with severe burns after her stepmother allegedly pushed her into spilled boiling water during a domestic dispute in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The incident reportedly occurred in the Kofa area of the city following an argument between the two women.
A neighbour, who also identified herself as Zara, said residents were drawn to the scene by the victim’s screams.
She alleged that she rushed to the house and found the stepmother holding the victim down on the 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,” the neighbour said.
Residents alleged that the victim had endured hardship since becoming pregnant after the man responsible for the pregnancy reportedly abandoned her. They also claimed that her parents had pressured her to terminate the pregnancy, but she refused.
According to the residents, the situation allegedly worsened after she gave birth, with the victim reportedly subjected to hunger and other forms of maltreatment during disagreements with her stepmother.
Recounting the incident, Muhammad said the trouble began when her young daughter attempted to enter her stepmother’s room. She said the woman stopped the child, prompting her to intervene and take the toddler away.
The victim alleged that the disagreement persisted for about three days before her stepmother reportedly threatened to stop providing food for her and her daughter.
“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 alleged.
Witnesses further claimed that the victim was left in severe pain after the incident without adequate medical attention. However, her father rejected the allegation of neglect, insisting that his daughter was taken to hospital.
Following the intervention of the Borno State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Zuweira Gambo, a response team reportedly evacuated Muhammad to a medical facility for treatment, while the alleged attacker was arrested and taken into security custody.
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