I’m Mohammad’s younger brother; we were captured together. We have nothing; we have no valuables. Even this phone that I’m using, it was given to me by my mother, but if I had something, I would buy one for myself. Even for me to cut my hair, I had to ask someone for money. This brother of mine is the only person taking care of us.
This girl you met me talking with, I feel shy when I see her. When we left, she was a very small girl, but now she has grown up. I have known her father since he was young, and now everything has changed. This is also my younger sister, and the other one has gotten married in Abuja.
We stayed for about six to seven years before we were taken to court. The court said to us when they came that they had checked our file, and we were not guilty. They asked for our mother’s name, and we told them, and they said they are done with us; we are not guilty. And when we reached 11 years of staying there, they came and called our names, those of us that were taken there in 2014, and took our thumbprint and gathered us.
Then, after Eid-el-Fitr, we were taken to Gombe, and they gave us some cloth to wear, and then they barbered our hair, put handcuffs on us, tied our eyes, and put us in an airplane. Then they took us to Gombe airport, from there, put us in a bus, and brought us to Gombe town.
When we came back, I couldn’t even stand up on my feet; people had to hold me before I went to the toilet. I normally drink seven litres of water per day, but I feel shy because every time I need help from someone to go to the toilet. So, I reduced the amount of water I’m drinking so that I won’t have to go to the toilet. Then I gradually healed, and I’m okay now. My only problem now is to be self-dependent, to be able to get married.
When they came in the morning and surrounded our village, we were about to start eating food with my brother, planning that afterwards, we would go to the market with my mother in Dalwa, while my brother would go look after the cows. Then we saw cars, and they gathered us all at the Bulama’s house — 42 of us — and took us to Dalwa and started beating us, cutting some people’s ears. And they put us in their car and took us to Giwa Barracks. They cut my brother’s ear and stabbed him in his ribs, and I took him to the hospital in Giwa Barracks, and he was treated; he even fainted. Three people among us died at Giwa Barracks due to torture. We don’t know anything; our time was just wasted. We used to be self-reliant.
As narrated by: Hashim Garba (Maiduguri, Nigeria).
This snippet is published as part of a series, The Day Boko Haram Attacked.
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