A pregnant woman on early Monday morning went into labour and died with her new born baby while fleeing from being kidnapped by gunmen in Damari, Kaduna State.
No fewer than fifty residents of Damari in Kazage Ward, Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, were reportedly kidnapped by the armed men during the attack on the community.
The Chairman of Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives’ Union (BEPU), Ishaq Usman Kasai, in a statement, said the pregnant woman fell while running and was left behind by other residents.
He said the woman went into labour and delivered a baby but both of them lost their lives.
Kasai, who further explained that after the initial attack, the bandits fearlessly returned to the village and burnt a vehicle and kidnapped many people, said: “Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives’ Union (BEPU) has been, in the last five days, alerting the relevant authorities and the general public on the cruel, wicked and heartless attacks by terrorist bandits in Damari, after the withdrawal of Ansaru (a splinter group of Boko Haram ) from the area.
“The sad event in the last seventy-two hours in Damari town of Kazage Ward in the Eastern part of Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area Kaduna State has reached a catastrophic situation.
“As at yesterday, bandits encircled Damari and abducted about 50 people, shortly before and after troops from Military field-base from Dogon-Dawa went to the town and escorted some remnants of the residents who were willing to move to comfort zones in neighbouring communities and even to as far away Zaria.
“The most worrisome situation is where a pregnant woman was running away along with her colleagues and was left away by the fleeing groups where she fell down and delivered a baby boy but unfortunately, both the mother and the baby lost their lives instantly.
“Damari is considered as the largest town in the entire Eastern part of Birnin-Gwari and with this worrisome development, about twenty thousands persons, including women and children are rendered internally displaced.
“Even today, the bandits returned to the town unchallenged, burnt a vehicle, kidnapped scores, intercepted and maltreated people, a seriously development that reflects the level of serious insecurity situation facing our community.
“This calamitous atrocities of armed bandits have made, Damari, the agrarian community that yearly produced over 600 tonnes of maize grains abandoned their ancestral homes and farms for safety.
“BEPU is highly concerned on the ugly situation of the citizens of Birnin-Gwari LGA particularly those in the local communities whereby despite all efforts to draw the attention of higher authorities for action as entails in their constitutional responsibilities has failed
“BEPU is deeply sympathizing with all the people of Damari over this trials and assures them of continued efforts towards supporting them in all possible ways especially in humanitarian emergency needs and would never relent on advancing engagement with government, whose major and primary responsibility as enshrined in the Constitution is the protection of lives and properties of the citizenry, to do the needful.”
