A 70-year-old Ugandan woman has given birth to twins after becoming pregnant through IVF treatment.

Safina Namukwaya became the oldest woman to give birth in Africa after she delivered a baby girl and boy on Wednesday afternoon, November 29, the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre in the Ugandan capital of Kampala said.

Medics at the hospital said the mother and her two babies are doing well after they were delivered via a caesarean.

Ugandan woman becomes the oldest person to give birth in Africa after welcoming twins at 70

'This story isn't just about medical success; it's about the strength and resilience of the human spirit,' the hospital said.

Ms Namukwaya told the NTV channel that this was her second delivery in three years, after she gave birth to a girl called Sarah in 2020.

The mother said she had suffered some complications and difficulties during her pregnancy, including the father of her children leaving her.

'Men don't like to hear that you are going to have more than one child,' Ms Namukwaya says. 'Even after I was admitted, my man never showed up.'

Ms Namukwaya said in the past she had suffered miscarriages, lost her husband in the 1990s, and faced stigma within her community for not having any children.

'One time, a very young boy heckled at me saying I had been cursed by my mother to die without a child,' she said.

Ms Namukwaya had revealed after the birth of her first child that she had been judged for not giving birth after 40 years of trying.

'Many people judged and abused me for being barren but, I decided to leave everything to the Almighty God who has finally answered my prayers,' she said shortly after the birth of her first daughter in 2020.

In 2019, Erramatti Mangayamma, from India, gave birth to twins through IVF at the age of 74, becoming the world's oldest mother.

Mangayamma, of Andhra Pradesh state, gave birth to two healthy baby girls with her husband of 57 years, Sitarama Rajarao at her side.

Anayo Makata, from Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Thursday, revealed his ordeal in the hands of kidnappers at Ogwugwu, a border community between Enugu and Kogi states.

Makata, 27, said he was abducted alongside six other passengers from an Abuja-bound Siena bus, which took off from Enugu.

He said they were held for four days and were given no food. According to him, “They were giving us dirty water from some shallow streams that cow dungs were often found in. At a time, we thought we would all die. They charged us N1m each. When nobody could pay, except one woman whose people came and settled hers two days after our capture, no other person could pay.

“We became afraid when they relocated us to the inner bushes, and told us that on the fifth day, we would be killed, and our organs sold. I understand Fulani to some extent. One of them called someone to come on the fifth day. I knew it was to kill us. They told us that they would show us the corpses of those whose organs were harvested. One of us cried, and they almost killed him.

“At a time, my brother, who I contacted, begged them to collect N500, 000. They agreed, and all of us reached out to our relatives. We regained our freedom on Wednesday night. I believe many missing people have been killed in such circumstances. I saw some abandoned shoes and shirts in the bush. The owners might have been killed.”

On the identities of their kidnappers, Makata said, “They are Fulani, but they never allowed us to look at their faces. They are slim generally. In the day time, we laid face down all through. If anyone wanted to ease oneself, the person was escorted by one of them. The way they handle their guns makes me believe that they are well trained gunmen.”

He expressed disapppointment that they could not be rescued by the Nigeria Police.

He said, “My brother told me that while they were borrowing money to settle the ransom, one of my relatives reported the matter to the police. But they could not rescue us. Police told my relative to be careful in negotiating the ransom so that we could regain our freedom without much delay.”

Anambra State Aids Control Agency (ANSACA) has disclosed that no fewer than 98,960 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the state.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Ben Obidike, gave the statistics on Thursday in Awka during a media briefing ahead of 2023 World AIDS Day observed every December 1 since 1988.

Tribune Online gathered that World AIDS Day is commemorated globally to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS, and honor the lives affected by the epidemic.

This year’s commemoration had the global theme ‘Let Communities Lead” and was domesticated in Nigeria as ‘Communities’ Leadership to end AIDS by 2030′.

Obidike said: “With the national prevalence of 1.4 per cent, our state’s HIV prevalence is ranked 5th highest in the country and the highest in the South East.

“It is estimated that 98,960 residents are living with HIV out of which 58 per cent know their status and 44,808 are currently on treatment.

“The state is making the needed progress towards attainment of the Global 95-95-95 targets of which we are at 65:81:93.

“And worthy of note is the gradual decline in new infections which is at 46 per cent between 2021 and 2023 and AIDS related death which is at 32 per cent between 2021 and 2023.

“We are scaling up Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission services to ensure no woman transmits this infection to her baby. The good news is that with the advent of Anti Retro-viral Therapy (ART), HIV is no longer a death sentence,” he said.

The Commissioner said the state was also scaling up access to HIV self-testing to tackle stigma and discrimination.

Also speaking, Dr Afam Anaeme, Director Public Health, described HIV/AIDS as one of the diseases of public health importance.

Anaeme said the disease is transmitted from person to person through body fluids during sexual activities, mother to child during pregnancy, labour and delivery, breast feeding, blood transfusion and risky sexual behaviours.

He said there was a need for community involvement in planning, implementation and monitoring of HIV programmes as well as access to relevant prevention, treatment and care services.

“Communities are people living with, at risk of, or affected by HIV and they need to lead the frontline of progress in the HIV response.

“With the participation of everyone, we can reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Anambra, ” he said.

In his remarks, Executive Director of ANSACA, Mr Johnbosco Ementa, urged residents to take advantage of the free testing centres across the state to know their status.

He said that the state government increased the number of HIV treatment sites from 104 to 1,182, with the collaboration of implementing partners.

“We also deployed mobile testing units, home-based testing, and community outreaches, to significantly improve HIV testing coverage and accessibility.

“We appreciate our partners – Achieving Health Nigeria Initiative, AIDS Health-care Foundation, UNAIDS, CHAI and Global Fund for their support,” he noted.

Nigerian hip-hop, R&B, and afrobeat music artist, Eedris Abdulkareem, has released a music album purposely to encourage Kano State governor, Kabir Abba Yusuf, in his quest to reclaim his mandate after being sacked by the election petition tribunal and the Court of Appeal.

In the music released by Abdulkareem, through Bullion Records, a subsidiary of Bullion Go-Neat Global Limited owned by Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, he called on Yusuf to seek the intervention of God in the matter pending before the court.

The lyrics in the music include:

“Kanawan Dabo, stand up and seek Allah’s intervention. Kanawan Dabo, don’t allow them to cheat you.

“Kano is not Lagos. Whatever your intention, we are above you.”

Abdulkareem urged the people of Kano to support Yusuf to build their children’s future.

He assured them that only Abba could uplift their lives and that they should rally around him.

“In the year 2019, they stole your mandate. This year, 2023, there is no going back. Don’t allow them; they are deceivers,” Abdulkareem charged Abba Yusuf.

Also, chieftains of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo and South-West Public Relations of the party, Kilamuwaye Badmus, have thrown their weight behind the Kano State Governor.

Recall that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja last week upheld the judgement of the Tribunal, which nullified Yusuf’s governorship mandate.

Yusuf and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) have approached the Supreme Court for a review of the certified true copy of the Appeal Court judgement, which in actual fact upheld Yusuf’s election while calling on the apex court to nullify what they described as a verbal judgement by the appellate court.

Ajadi, who recently paid a solidarity visit to Abba Yusuf in Kano, said the wish of millions of people in Kano will stand at the end of the day, maintaining that his claim of four plus four (4 + 4) is certain for Abba Yusuf of the NNPP in Kano state.

Ajadi, who contested the governorship of Ogun State on the platform of the NNPP in the 2023 election, said Yusuf will be affirmed as the Kano State Governor by the Supreme Court.

He called on the good people of Kano State to remain calm and avoid provocation from the opposition, who are enjoying a temporary victory.

“I see it as a temporary setback, as the judgement cannot stand the test of time.

“The Supreme Court will give us judgement. It will rubbish the judgement of the Court of Appeal.

Badmus also assured the people of Kano State that Yusuf is going to complete his tenure, as he said the Supreme Court will upturn the judgement of the Court of Appeal.

He warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to destroy democracy by putting the judiciary under pressure.

Badmus warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to turn Nigeria to Lagos State, where he dominated all aspects of governance.