Boko Haram attacked our town, killed villagers and took me away - 14-year girl narrates her experience

Boko Haram attacked our town, killed villagers and took me away - 14-year girl narrates her experience

- A 14-year old girl has narrated how some Boko Haram terrorists invaded their house in Bama community and threatened her father if he failed to let her go with them

- Aisha (not her real name) said the terrorists pointed a gun to her father's head and threatnedn to kill him

- She said she was held alongside other women and young girls in the terrorists den

- Aisha said she was forcefully married off to a Boko Haram soldier while in captivity

A 14-year old girl Aisha (not real names) has narrated how some Boko Haram terrorists invaded their house in Bama community and threatened her father if he failed to let her go with them.

Aisha narrating the turn out of events since the past two years she was taken away by the terrorists told United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that she was held captive with many other girls by Boko Haram elements.

On the day she was taken away, Aisha said her village was set on fire by Boko Haram.

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She said: “I was taken from my home, when my town of Bama was set on fire by Boko Haram. They put a gun to my father’s head and said they would kill him if he didn’t let me go. Then they took me.”

She was further thrown into a vehicle and taken away to a building guarded by members of the group.

There she met other girls who have also been held captive for months.

Boko Haram attacked our town, killed villagers and took me away - A girl narrates her experience
They put a gun to my father’s head and said they would kill him if he didn’t let me go.

They were subsequently forced to change location frequently for fear of invasion by troops of the Nigerian military.

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"When the Nigerian army came close, Boko Haram made us walk through the forest at night and sleep in the day so we could get far away. I didn’t know where I was. I saw no houses or roads, just forest. We walked for two months," Aisha said.

Since the abduction, Aisha has been forced to stop learning as a child should. She was constantly abused and forced into marriage by a Boko Haram terrorist.

Fortunately, having managed to escape from the terrorists' den, Aisha now lives in Dalori Displacement Camp in Maiduguri were she receives support from UNICEF.

Although at 14, she is currently pregnant, the teenager is now safe and manages to rebuild her life with support from her family members.

Like Aisha, many women and young girls including the 194 Chibok school remain in the captivity of the terrorists.

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Aisha said while in captivity, the women barley talk to each other for fear of being killed by the terrorists.

She said: “While we were walking, the men would say to us, ‘This is God’s work, it is difficult. God is testing you and you have to be strong.’ I didn’t know if my parents were still alive. My town had been burnt down. I wanted to die.”

Legit.ng gathered that Aisha said she wanted to die especially after she was forced to marry a young Boko Haram soldier.

She could not talk to anyone in the terrorists' enclave.

“If you told anyone that you wanted to escape, they would call you an unbeliever, then punish or kill you so I kept my thoughts to myself.”

Things changed for Aisha at the enclave when after her marriage, she was allowed to move around the Boko Haram infested area.

She narrated how she met an old woman in the village who she managed to tell about her plight.

“I spoke to her about my problems and she felt sorry for me. At first, I was I scared to tell her how unhappy I was, but then I realized I could trust her.

“One day she told me she would help me escape; we pretended to visit someone in a nearby village. We sneaked past the border, and then walked for a day to reach the next town. When we arrived, the Nigerian army was conducting an operation, so there was total chaos. I merged into the crowd and made my way to safety. I haven’t seen that lady again but I know that she is safe in Bama," she said.

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The teenager found out her father died shortly after her abduction when reunited with her mother and bother.

currently receiving medical attention and counselling, Aisha has also come to terms with her ordeal while in captivity.

The last thing my father said to me as I was being kidnapped was, ‘This is the most difficult moment you are going to face, but you will come back to me.’

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I speak to my close family about what happened, some understand, some don’t. They say to me, ‘if it was me, I would have killed them all’ or ‘you should have escaped sooner," she said.

“When I found out I was pregnant I was sad, but now I realize it is gift from God. Others that have experienced this are facing the world proudly," Aisha said.

Aisha also hopes that one day, she would go back to school to continue her education while taking proper care of her child.

Recall that the Bring Back Our Girls campaign group on Friday, April 14, launched its annual lecture on the Chibok Girls.

The group has since 2014, advocated for the safe rescue of 194 school girls kidnapped from their hostel in Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state and other abductees of Boko Haram.

Watch this Legit.ng video of the three years anniversary of the missing Chibok school girls below:

You can also watch this documentary video of the return of the Chibok girls:

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Nnenna Ibeh avatar

Nnenna Ibeh Nnenna Ibeh is a journalist with over 10 years of experience with various media organisations including Premium Times. Being on the front burner of reporting politics and the different dimensions of governance, she is also passionate about girls' education and women's and children's health. With degrees in Journalism, Peace Studies & Conflict Res., and Dev. Studies, Nnenna has worked in the dev. sector as a communications officer for the Centre for Democracy and Dev. email: ibehnnenna@gmail.com

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