Just seven kilometers from Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, lies the Murbai community in Ardo-Kola Local Government Area. Beneath its quiet surface, the settlement has lived in uncertainty and disarray for decades following the recorded blindness affecting 75 residents.
Life goes on, but under a heavy cloud of unanswered questions. Some residents have adjusted to their reality, moving through daily tasks with or without assistance, while others play drums unhindered by their loss of sight. Yet, behind this quiet resilience is an agonising mystery that has plagued generations.
Silent Darkness
Fourteen-year-old Christian Daniel is among those born into this unending night. His parents, who survive as farmers and petty traders, rely on the kindness of neighbours.
The community comes together to send Christian and other affected children to a specialised institution, but the financial burden remains overwhelming.
“I feel bad. My friends come and tell me that they want to go to places, but I cannot join them due to my condition,” said Daniel. “We are studying in a special school for the blind at Garbabi, the Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State, and I’m appealing for assistance so that the tuition fees can be paid for us. I really wish I could someday see; I know what my community looks like.”
Unfathomable Pain
For mothers in Murbai, watching their children grow up without sight is a relentless heartbreak. The grief is compounded by the total absence of medical explanations, leaving families to wonder if their environment or a strange curse is to blame.
Florence Peter, a resident of the community, shared her sorrow with Channels Television:
“I have two children. My younger brother has one, and my daughter has one child. All born blind,” Peter lamented. “We do not know where this problem is coming from. Could it be God punishing us? Could it be the water we consume or the food we eat? We actually do not know.”
“Living with them is not usually easy. We have lost at least five children to these ailments,” she added.
Dirty Streams
Reaching or leaving Murbai is an arduous journey, requiring travelers to cross rivers and navigate terrible road networks.
Left without adequate healthcare since their only primary health care centre was vandalised during a 2019 communal crisis alongside their school, the people of Murbai suspect their water source may be the culprit.
A visit to the local water point reveals a stagnant pool where residents and animals meet side by side. It is from this same dirty spot that villagers draw water to cook, bathe, wash, and perform every other household chore.
Linu Ayaukani, a resident, described the harsh conditions under which they survive:
“For so long we have been using this water, as you are seeing behind me. It’s very dirty. We don’t have any borehole in this Murbai community,” Ayaukani said. “We may not know whether this is why plenty people are blind. The Taraba State Government and the Federal Government should help us and give us a borehole.”
Questionable Sources
While the state reconstructed the local school after the 2019 crisis, the health centre is in ruins, leaving the community vulnerable to rising health emergencies. Medical humanitarians stepping into the area believe hygiene and contaminated water are at the root of the crisis, though official medical research is still desperately needed.
Dorcas Elisha, Founder of the Marben Foundation, pointed to the glaring environmental factors during a health screening:
“For us, it is not scientifically proven, (but) based on the discovery of the eye conditions detected in Murbai, everything seems to be tied to hygiene, and we could easily trace hygiene to water. Then we realised that the source of water itself is questionable,” said Elisha. “So that is why we suspect it is the water, but it is not scientifically proven whether it is the water, and this is something that we want the government, the Ministry of Health, to step into Murbai and actually conduct research, analyse the situation, and tell us what is actually causing the problem in Murbai. Why are children in Murbai losing their sight?”
The sheer scale of the condition became evident during an assessment by the foundation, which revealed a troubling pattern among the youngest residents.
“Why are people losing their sight? Why are children losing their sight? It’s quite disheartening because 110 children have one form of eye condition or the other,” she added.
Fading Hopes
It remains unclear whether the blindness ravaging Murbai is hereditary or the result of a polluted environment, contaminated soil, or toxic water. Out of 180 residents screened, all exhibited some form of eye ailment, with 110 of them being children.
Efforts are underway with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development to get the worst-affected children urgent clinical care outside the village.
“We are working hand in hand with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development, and we’ll be able to secure clearance for travel for the children because out of the 110 children that were screened, 34 actually have a severe case,” Elisha said. “So, for those severe cases, we are grateful that the T. Y. Danjuma Foundation is stepping in to take care of the treatment for the children with severe cases. So we’ll be traveling with these children to the T. Y. Danjuma Medical Centre, and we are grateful to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development for giving us clearance for travel with the children.”
Isolated by geography and neglected by health authorities, the people of Murbai wait to see if the state government will step in—not only to investigate the mystery behind their loss of sight, but to restore basic healthcare, clean water, and dignity to their lives.
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