Cowards, they say, dies many times before their eventual death. A trained Nigerian Soldier, shocked and stoned by the sound of heavy armaments, reportedly died of a heart attack while his colleagues fled the day Shekua’s men stormed Chibok like NATO soldiers and abducted 276 Government Secondary School girls.
But, 16-year old Saratu Isa demonstrated bravery in the face of death. She was one of the few girls who escaped on the way to Sambisa, the acclaimed Headquarters of Boko Haram. In fact, Saratu told BDSUNDAY she did not escape. She said she was saved by Godwhen she refused to deny her religionwhen she asked to by theterroristsand, to her surprise, they set her free.
Saratu boldly told the terrorists: “kill me if that is what will please you; but be it known to you, I will never abandon my faith. I was born in it and I will also be pleased to die in it. I am not afraid of your guns.”
One of her colleagues, who also happened to be of the same faith with her, had already been coerced into denying her faith. It was a situation of say yes or die.
“When we got to where the lorries were, there was no space left to accommodate me. They then asked us to follow them on foot to a nearby village in search of vehicle that would convey us. On reaching there, they found vehicle and some of the girls entered and there was no place for me and two other girls in the vehicle,” she said.
According to her, the terrorists, getting frustrated by now because they could not find vehicle for the remaining three girls, decided it would be best if the girls are killed.
“So, they asked us what religion we practiced. I and one other girl are Christians while the third was a Muslim. The Muslim girl was very quick to tell them she was a Muslim; but I was surprised when the other Christian girl said she was a Muslim. I told them I am Christian. They said I must renounce my faith and embrace theirs otherwise I will be killed! I told them to go ahead and kill me and that I will never renounce my faith. ‘I was born into a Christian family and I will be happy to die as one than to deny my Lord’. They said since I was proving to be stubborn, they will kill me there and set the other girls free.
“As they argued whether to kill me or not, some of the vehicles and ‘okada’ (motorcycles) had started moving and leaving us behind. Some of the ‘okadas’ had three or four people on each. Some said ‘let’s kill them, others said no, let’s leave them for wild animals to kill. They went to ask their leader what should be done to us since there was no extra vehicle to convey us and he told them we should be left to wonder in the bush.”
But there were those who insisted the Christian girl should be killed; but their leader insisted the three of us must be left to the cruel jungle. That was how God saved me from being killed by the insurgents.”
Saratu said the time the terrorists came to the school, some of the girls had started sleeping but she was making phone call when she heard strange noise and gun shots and woke the rest who were still sleeping; informing them that she heard a gunshot from the direction of the school gate and that it could be Boko Haram.
“I told them let’s run for our lives but many of the girls opposed me arguing that nobody will harm us because we are ladies. They were scared that, in the process of running we might be killed.”
They came to our hostels and asked us to gather ourselves together; promising that nothing would happen to us because they were soldiers sent to protect us. Most of them were in army uniform, so we believed they were soldiers. When they had gathered us, they started to abuse us and revealed who they are to us. They said they have warned us before not to attend any western oriented school and that they were here to teach us the lesson of disobedience. They said since we have refused to get married they will teach us the bitter lesson of disobeying Boko Harem”, she said.
According to her, the girls were asked to pack their luggage and all their belongings and were directed out of the school promises before they started setting ablaze all the school building; assigning her and two other girls to tie the students’ belongings to together after which they were asked to go back to their colleagues.
HIJACKED LORRIES
Peter Ibrahim, an indigene of Chibok, told BD SUNDAY that the Lorries the terrorists used to transport the girls were coming from Uba with grains but arrived Chibok very late because from 6pm vehicular moments are not allowed in Chibok because of the curfew that was already in place.
He said the drivers of the Lorries consequentlydiscontinue their journey until the following day. Luck however ran out on them when the terrorists came with the girls, woke the drivers, offloaded their goods and used the trucks to transport the girls to Sambisa forest.
The insurgents also went back to the school with one of the busses to collect food stuffs and other belongings of the girls; and set vehicles they could not start ablaze. Eye witnesses say they came in 7 vehicles.
Nineteen years old Hauwa John, another escapee, told BDSUNDAY in Chibok that she was discussing with ten of her colleagues without realizing the silent night had something dreadful in stock ahead of them.
She said: “We dispersed and went to our hostels to sleep. On getting to our hostels, we heard several gunshots coming from the entrance of the school. It was then some of us gathered and wanted to runaway. But some disagreed saying it was safe. While we argued whether or not to escape, some men entered the hostels and said they were security men and said they were here to rescue us. They asked us to gather ourselves together which we did.”
She said thereafter, they heard the sound of many ‘okada’ (motorcycles) coming from the entrance of the gate accompanied with several gun shots with thunderous shout of ‘Allah akubara’. “It was after this shout of Allah akubaru they told us that they were Boko Haram members. They asked us the location of the school’s block molding machine. We told them we don’t have such and that the school authority usually buys blocks from outside. Then they started asking us about our food stuffs and stoves. They took two girls among us to show them where our stuffs and stoves are. They confiscated the food stuff and loaded them up into a lorry the rode in.”
THE HOSTELS
She said the girls were surprised and frightened to have seen hundreds of the terrorists inside the school promises when they were paraded outside the hostels. They were led out of the school on a single line on both sides; ensuring that none of the girls could escape.
“They drove us out of the school and started burning down the whole building. They ask whether the soldiers live here or in the town. They also asked for our phones. We told them we don’t have phones because the school authority prohibits us from using phone. They led us some distance outside the town and loaded us one by one inside the trucks and smaller cars and started off the journey”.
“When we got to a particular village, some of us started whispering to one and another. We concluded that, it was better for us to die attempting to escape than to be carried to unknown destination where we may eventually be killed. I personally decided to jump out of the lorry. So, I jumped out of the lorry, fell down with serious pain and started running in no particular direction. When I got to one village, I called for help and luckily, the people kept me in their place having heard my story and brought me back to my parents in Chibok the following morning”, she said.
Sixteen-year old Kauna Bitrus, another escapee, told BD SUNDAY in Chibok it was bizarre gunshots that woke her from sleep because she had been sleeping when they were invaded.
They told us if we thought the soldiers could protect us from them and mocked us. They called us harlots and said instead of us getting married or go to Islamic school if we must get education at all, we rather chose to waste our time getting secular education”, she said.
According to her, on hearing the unkind words and the name calling by the insurgents, they knew disaster was near and some of the girls burst into tears but we quickly shouted down with threats to kill anyone who cried.
“Some were wearing mask and others were not. Young people, very young people were among them. So, those who were crying shut up after the threat. They led us to the store where our food stuffs were and packed everything and asked us to come out of the school and burnt down the whole building in the school promises. They led us to where they parked their vehicles; loaded us inside and went with us. I also decided to jump out of the truck while it was moving. When I jumped out of the truck and started running. That was how I escaped.”
Hauwa, Kauna and Saratu, who told BD SUNDAY that they considered themselves lucky to be alive, have a unilateral message for any individual, group or organizations, which were still holding what they call ‘sentimental views’ about the authenticity of the Chibok’s abduction.
According to them, those who were still saying no girls were kidnapped in Chibok should be investigated to ascertain whether or not they are members of Boko Haram.
“Anybody who visits that school will not argue whether girls were kidnapped or not. You saw the school yourself and you can tell the world of the disaster the terrorists did to our school. The 53 girls who escaped are living witness of the abduction. Anybody who says nothing like that ever happened must be part of Boko Haram”, they said.
They also pleaded with both the state and federal government and the international community to rescue their colleagues still being held for over two months now.
“They should rescue them in time. Staying in bush is not an easy task. They may fall sick. We also want to plead with Boko Haram to release our colleagues because they are mothers of next generation. By abducting them, they are killing the nation entirely. The girls should be released so that they can come back and reunite with their parents,” they told pleaded.
NATHANIEL AKHIGBE
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