It was a Tuesday, around 5:00 am. We were fast asleep in our house when we heard the warning cries, “Boko Haram is coming!”
WE LEFT ALL OUR BELONGINGS BEHIND
Kind-hearted individuals gave some of us clothes, but that help is only available to those who were lucky enough to reach town.
WE’VE FORGIVEN THE REPENTANT BOKO HARAM
Initially, we were afraid of the repentant Boko Haram members, but now we’re one community.
WE THOUGHT WE COULD COEXIST
They even came to the market to buy things without harming anyone, so we believed we could coexist with them.
I DESTROYED LIVES AS A BOKO HARAM MEMBER
I hope that one day, those I wronged will see that I am no longer the man I used to be.
I JOINED BOKO HARAM. I DIDN’T HAVE A CHOICE.
We were given ₦20,000 and a bag of rice, with promises of ongoing support that unfortunately didn’t materialise.
BORN IN A BOKO HARAM CAMP
Some parents told their children to stay away, as if I carried a curse. At school, I sat alone. At home, I heard the whispers.
LIFE AFTER RESCUE FROM SAMBISA IS HARDER
The daily struggle to survive and take care of my children now feels much harder. I feel like I’ve been abandoned and forgotten.
I WAS RAPED. I THOUGHT MY LIFE HAD ENDED.
What hurt most was being far away from my family, not knowing if they were alive or dead.
PEOPLE CALLED ME ‘BOKO HARAM DAUGHTER’
People whispered about me. Some mothers warned their children not to come near me. In their eyes, I was no longer just Amina.