– Abraham’s brother was beheaded by the Boko Haram Sect
– The Soldiers get drunk and sometimes torture people unnecessarily
– Life in IDP camp is not an easy one as most of them are jobless
Growing up in a remote village of Adamawa was fun-filled and full of great childhood memories for Abraham Ntanda. Watching the trees blossom during the rainy season and winds billow in the night under the moonlight as they hear songs and jokes from different houses.
He thought of growing up and going to join the Nigerian Police Force in Yola someday, he only had a secondary school education before dropping out due to lack of funds to further his academic aspirations. His elder brother, Josiah Ntanda completed secondary school and left the village for Yola to become a policeman.
“As my father died, it was only my mother that took care of my brother, my sister and I. Growing up was fun as we have a lot of family members around us in the village. It was a peaceful setting”
“When I dropped out of school I started rearing cows as my brother left the village and went to town to join the Police force so that was what I was doing till I grow up,” he told NAIJ.com.
Boko Haram Invasion
Abraham was returning from a farm one evening when suddenly he saw people running helter skelter, he turned around and it was some guys who were looking dirty and haggard, chasing residents all over the town.
He took to his heels but fell along the way, breaking his leg, but managed to get to his house to protect his old mother:
“When i got home, I quickly carried my mother and flee our home to the king’s palace where we slept. We went back home after they left two days later, they had stolen our cows – mine was four and my mother’s were six with food stuffs and clothes.
“They also killed those people in church, any one that was identified as a Christian was gunned down.”
The village up till now is never the same peaceful place again, houses and farm lands have been burnt and all that is left are desecrated and burnt out houses and huts, with soldiers strolling as if it is a war zone.
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Data on reported deaths by Boko Haram. Source: University of Sussex
Boko Haram
The Boko Haram sect is a terrorist group which is originally known as Wilāyat Gharb Ifrīqīyyah in Arabic. They have killed scores, murdered and maimed a lot of people.
The perceived Islamic extremist group is based in north-east Nigeria, they have been linked to Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
The Terrorist group were said to have been technically defeated, an announcement which was made by the Nigerian government, despite these they continue killing, robbing rapping and kidnapping.
They kidnaped school girls in Chibok and they are yet to be found, this led to the campaign #bringbackourgirls.
So far they have displaced over 2.3 million Nigerians since they became active in the year 2013. Some however fled Nigeria for safety, just in 2014 they killed over 6,600.
There are over 20 Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps scattered all over Nigeria and trying to pick up the pieces of their lives, many could not get back to normal as they know it. Many are left with lasting psychological trauma while some were battered emotionally as their loved ones were murdered and some had their children taken away from them and yet to locate them.
“My fiancé is missing up till now, what can I do but to wait on God and also pray for peace where ever she finds herself. To marry now is a problem as I don’t even have money or job, which woman will answer me? he asked.
“I don’t even know if she is one of the girls who were kidnapped by these men, they disguise to the market, buy things and use the idea to get through to the girls and deceive them to follow them where they raped and eventually kill them,” Abraham narrated to NAIJ.com.
Murder
Josiah who visited the village to check on his mother was killed by the Terrorists, whilst luckily for Abraham, he was in a neighbouring village to barter their farm produce. They made his mother watch them carry out this act. The woman passed out and the head of his brother was hung on a stick alongside other freshly maimed human heads.
It was the most dreaded sight he has ever seen, while in the act they got a hint that the soldiers were coming and they fled town.
“As they kill my brother, cut his head off and other guys, my mother fainted. They raped young girls, burnt houses and even eat food.
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“You can see everywhere was filled with dusts, they were shooting, people were shouting crying and running, we never stopped running and they targeted Christians more in our village.
Soldiers
In Abraham’s narration to NAIJ.com, he accused the army of misbehaviour, lamenting that they sometimes leave what they are supposed to do, which is to protect the people of Adamawa, however, what they mostly do is chase skirts, get drunk and misbehave.
Adding that each time the terrorists comes to raid the villages some of the military will change their uniforms and wear normal cloth then take to their heels:
“The Soldiers around there misbehaved, infact you have to see them, if you want to talk to army they will beat you because they didn’t believe anyone, even Okada, if you are riding and they catch you they will ask you to put it on your head and frog jump with it then beat and torture you if Boko haram comes they will run away”
“Even the armies too will go and carry girls and get drunk this is why the boko haram get them sometimes because when they are drunk they will carry army guns and run away with them.
“Government need to advice the Nigerian Army and make sure they stop behaving anyhow, even when we were running one day like that, I have to remove my top and give army to change his uniform so they won’t kill him.
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Journey to Abuja
It took the interference of some good Samaritan to give him and some others the money which was used to transport themselves to Abuja:
“I came to Abuja with a group of friends, it took us days because no one trusted us, I was first of all in Asokoro then I came to join the IDP camp here, life has not been easy.
“I missed my home, missed my mother and I am even afraid they will come for us here in the camp, I am forced to always look behind my shoulders every time, my life is never the same again,” he told NAIJ.com.
Abraham is one of the over two million Nigerians who have been displaced and scattered all over the federation. Some will never go back home as they have nothing left for them back home:
“I am here now, even if it is a cleaning job I will take, with N10,000 salary a month I will live well and can also manage myself, there is nothing more than I can do here.
“Cow rearing and farming is all I know, I can’t farm, I don’t have a land here, sometimes I get so hungry and we wait for people to come and give us gifts and if they do we only get small portion because we share it within ourselves.
Aderonke Bello in a chat with Abrahma Ntanda
The report was put together by Aderonke Bello, a managng editor at NAIJ.com. She visited the Gongola IDP camp, Airport road in Abuja to speak with the survivor.
Twitter @Aderonkew
The post Special Report: How I escaped Boko Haram massacre in Adamawa appeared first on Nigeria News today & Breaking news | Read on NAIJ.COM.
Special Report: How I escaped Boko Haram massacre in Adamawa
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