A quiet farming village in Borno State has been plunged into grief after a devastating household incident claimed the lives of four siblings, leaving their parents hospitalised.
The heartbreaking discovery was made after neighbours, concerned over unanswered phone calls to the family’s head, decided to check on the household.
When no one responded to repeated knocks, one of the neighbours forced the door open, only to find an entire family unconscious.
Local resident, Bukar Musa, who led the desperate effort, described the scene as “terrifying and heartbreaking.” He said, “We saw all of them lying there, not moving, not speaking. We didn’t know what happened, only that we needed help immediately.”
The victims were identified as children from the same family: Idrisa Muktari (male), Hauwa Muktari (female, 9), Binta Muktari (female, 6), and Saidu Muktari (male, 1). Their parents, including 35-year-old Muktari Idrisa, were found critically weak but still alive.
Emergency teams, including security operatives and medical personnel, arrived shortly after being alerted by the community.
Health officials confirmed that all four children had died before help could reach them, while the parents were rushed to a nearby hospital, where they are said to be responding to treatment.
According to medical sources, the children’s bodies were taken to the hospital mortuary before being handed over to relatives for burial in line with Islamic traditions.
Police authorities have opened a full-scale investigation to determine what caused the sudden tragedy.
“The case has been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in Maiduguri for proper analysis,” a police spokesperson confirmed, adding that no immediate cause of the incident had yet been established.
AFRIPOST reports that the unexpected deaths have cast a shadow over Kukurpu village in Hawul Local Government Area, where residents are struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss.
One community elder told reporters, “This is the kind of sorrow that leaves a deep scar. We’ve never seen anything like this before.”
For now, authorities are urging residents to remain calm as investigations continue into what has left a once-peaceful home in mourning and a whole village in shock.