It was during the Matawalle administration that we encountered a lot of security issues, which led to our displacement here in Sunami Gusau.
We want to go back to our community, and we are praying for any means that will bring stability for us to go back but the issue persists. I have three wives. One returned despite all the problems there and two are here with me. All I want is for us to return but it is impossible because the place is still at risk of attack.
Even though this year the place looks stable and that is why I let the other wife go back. I have been visiting her because I usually go there around this time to farm. So, if we go there to work, she is the one who cooks food for us.
There was a time when bandits killed my younger brother, my uncle had a heart attack and died, and my other younger brother was also kidnapped all in one attack. I also lost a lot of friends to that attack.
They asked us to pay a ransom to release our brother, but we told them that we had already forgotten about him because we didn’t have anything to give them. So, the only option was to keep praying for him and let them just kill him.
They decided to release him after two months. The village head called us to say that we should come back, that our brother was in his palace. He came back with an injury to his leg and we don’t even have resources to use for his treatment. We sought the village head’s assistance and he helped us to cover the medical expenses.
In our family house, nothing is left. They stole everything we have as a family and left us stranded. While running from their attack, they followed me and I left my motorcycle, which they set ablaze.
The worst experience was when my wife gave birth in the bush, in the middle of ridges, while running to escape the attack. Later, one old woman saw her and a child crying and she helped her out. The next day we were informed and we went and searched for her and brought her back with us here in Sunami.
I’ve not experienced any intimidation. Nobody has intimidated me or accused me of being a bandit or suspect.
But we were betrayed by a Fulani colleague. I can recall one day during evening hours, we were praying and one Imam, who is Fulani and has children as bandits, was leading the prayers. He was reading the Quran and they called him on his phone. When he answered the call, he was informed that the community would be attacked so he should leave the place, and he didn’t inform us, despite being the Imam. He just sneaked out and left. A few moments later, they stormed the community, surrounded the mosque, and kept shooting sporadically. Many people died but some people who were not in the mosque repelled the attack.
Currently, life is difficult for us. For someone to leave his community and his farm is not easy, but this year we have started seeing stability.
As narrated by: Sani Lawali – 45 (Agama Lafiya, Zamfara).
This snippet is published as part of the series, What We Lost to the Bandits.
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