The triplets delivered three days ago by Mrs Tatsuma Jubril in Damaturu, Yobe State are in critical conditions.

Mrs Jubril is also iIl, hospital sources said yesterday.

The Maryam Sani Abacha Hospital, where the triplet are, have no functional incubating machine to take care of them.

A nurse, who prefers anonymity, told our correspondent at the hospital that both the mother and the babies are at the mercy of God.

The nurse said: "We do not have an incubator . Though we have one, but it has broken down for quite some time now. There is nothing we can do at the moment. I think the babies are at the mercy of God. If they can be referred to the University Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, I am sure there will be more hope of survival for the babies.

"The mother as you can see is also in a very critical condition. She is suffering from anaemia (lack of blood). She requires about three pints of blood. I understand the husband and the relatives are looking for people who can donate blood for her."

The nurse, however, added that because of the hot weather, the babies have a chance of surviving since the incubating machine works with heat.

The father of the babies, Bukar Jibril, a farmer, told our correspondent that this was his wife’s third childbirth, lamenting that none of the children lived.

He said the children died either at childbirth or shortly after delivery.

Calls to the Deputy Governor, Danlami Ali, who is also the Commissioner for Health, were not picked. He didn’t reply the text message sent to him either.

Several attempts made by our correspondent to get to him through his press secretary also failed.

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