By Grace Joseph

Have you ever dwelt on the significance of your upper limbs in supporting locomotion as well as in responding to stimuli? If not, this should definitely prick your curiosity.    The peculiar case of a boy born without the upper limbs happened in a suburb within the Bauchi Metropolis of recent.     

   The baby, christened Chongfilawos, was born without limbs with only three fingers jutting out from a shortened arm that is less than two inches each side around his shoulder. Mother of the child, Blessing Samson, 20, an indigene of Lussa in Bogoro Local Government Area, said she gave birth to the baby on July 4, 2015.
Blessing who resides with her parents, Mr and Mrs Samson Baraya at their family house in Gudun Sayawa, said she was delivered of the baby at home.                                                               

          Blessing’s mother; Diana revealed that her daughter could not be taken to the Primary Health Care centre at Dumi, about three kilometres from Gudun Sayawa, because she experienced labour late night
 “My son Chongfilawos is a blessing from God,” Blessing said.  “His birth was easy. When I saw him like this, at first I was not happy but later I prayed and told myself it is the will of God.  I love him and I will protect him with everything I have,” she said.
She also said that the father of the child, Jehu Luka, a peasant farmer who lives in Lussa, was away when the baby was born but had come to check  his  child and left.

“This baby is a gift from God and we are not sad in the family,” Bukata Bukar, elder brother to Blessing.
Grand-mother of the child, Diana Samson, said although her daughter Blessing had been going for ante natal from the house, her labour started late in the night and had to call a birth attendant to deliver her.

“At first we were shocked when we saw the child without hands. But as Christians we believe God has purpose for everything so we started thanking God,” Mrs Samson said.
Baraya appealed to well-meaning individuals in the community not to discriminate against the child.
“This is the first time we are seeing this kind of baby in our community. We need the support and love of everyone to help this child lead a normal life.
“We also appeal to NGOs or the government to help with the education of this child because the father is just a poor farmer and from what we have seen this child needs special support,” Baraya said.
A neighbor of hers’  Jude Frank, who is a native of Anambra State, said he expected to meet Blessing crying for being delivered of a baby without limbs but was praising God.

“I thank God that they have accepted the child in good fate. People have been coming to support the child with cloths. We can assist with clothes and food but I think the family will need assistance of government to bring this child up,” Jude said.