A 16 year old boy has recounted how he
escaped after his parents were slaughtered
by Boko Haram while he watched..Babagana
who was captured by the deadly group crept
out of the Boko Haram hideout after three
days of being locked there.. He walked
through the forest for hours before he found
help.He told Daily Beast
“I didn’t leave with anything,“When the
chance came to escape, I only had my
pants on. I ran almost naked.”
Boko Haram militants invaded the rural town
of Gamboru in Borno State, burnt down
houses and demanded that the local children
be handed over to them. Parents who
objected were killed, and a couple of children
were forcefully taken.
“They asked me about my parents,They
then killed them in front of me.”
“That is how Boko Haram operates. They
first take out your parents so you have
no one else to fall back to.They killed
people for no reason,I just couldn’t stand
the horror. It made me terribly scared.”
Although he was only with the militants for
three days, Babagana witnessed acts so
brutal that he decided to risk his life to
escape
“They killed anyone who didn’t heed to
their instructions.Girls were often
subjected to sexual abuse. Anyone who
proved stubborn was shot dead.”I lost
my mind with all that I saw.I thought if I
didn’t find a way of escaping, sooner
rather than later, it would be my turn.”I
tried to talk my colleagues into escaping.
They wanted to, but were scared they
could be caught and killed,”
“I was lucky to have escaped,“There
were so many voices and bullets coming
after me,” he said.
Babagana eventually made it back to
Gamboru, but found himself ostracized by his
kinsmen, who no longer trusted him. Unable
to depend on the community for protection,
Babagana again went on the move, traveling
to from one village to the other across
northern Borno and many times narrowly
avoiding recapture as militants kept invading
new communities. He finally made it to a
displacement camp in Maiduguri, a place he
now calls home.
Hassan Mustapha, a child-protection
specialist in Maiduguri, said children are
often put to a “test of manhood” once there
are conscripted.
“Once a child is conscripted by Boko
Haram, he is first asked to kill his
parents, which is a symbol of initiation
into the sect,” Mustapha said. “They
destroy everything of value to these
children so they have no options.”
Many of the children captured by Boko
Haram serve on the front lines, fighting for
control of villages and looting the homes of
the civilians. Others children serve as spies,
scouts, porters, cooks, and bodyguards for
officers. Girls are also kept as sex slaves.
escaped after his parents were slaughtered
by Boko Haram while he watched..Babagana
who was captured by the deadly group crept
out of the Boko Haram hideout after three
days of being locked there.. He walked
through the forest for hours before he found
help.He told Daily Beast
“I didn’t leave with anything,“When the
chance came to escape, I only had my
pants on. I ran almost naked.”
Boko Haram militants invaded the rural town
of Gamboru in Borno State, burnt down
houses and demanded that the local children
be handed over to them. Parents who
objected were killed, and a couple of children
were forcefully taken.
“They asked me about my parents,They
then killed them in front of me.”
“That is how Boko Haram operates. They
first take out your parents so you have
no one else to fall back to.They killed
people for no reason,I just couldn’t stand
the horror. It made me terribly scared.”
Although he was only with the militants for
three days, Babagana witnessed acts so
brutal that he decided to risk his life to
escape
“They killed anyone who didn’t heed to
their instructions.Girls were often
subjected to sexual abuse. Anyone who
proved stubborn was shot dead.”I lost
my mind with all that I saw.I thought if I
didn’t find a way of escaping, sooner
rather than later, it would be my turn.”I
tried to talk my colleagues into escaping.
They wanted to, but were scared they
could be caught and killed,”
“I was lucky to have escaped,“There
were so many voices and bullets coming
after me,” he said.
Babagana eventually made it back to
Gamboru, but found himself ostracized by his
kinsmen, who no longer trusted him. Unable
to depend on the community for protection,
Babagana again went on the move, traveling
to from one village to the other across
northern Borno and many times narrowly
avoiding recapture as militants kept invading
new communities. He finally made it to a
displacement camp in Maiduguri, a place he
now calls home.
Hassan Mustapha, a child-protection
specialist in Maiduguri, said children are
often put to a “test of manhood” once there
are conscripted.
“Once a child is conscripted by Boko
Haram, he is first asked to kill his
parents, which is a symbol of initiation
into the sect,” Mustapha said. “They
destroy everything of value to these
children so they have no options.”
Many of the children captured by Boko
Haram serve on the front lines, fighting for
control of villages and looting the homes of
the civilians. Others children serve as spies,
scouts, porters, cooks, and bodyguards for
officers. Girls are also kept as sex slaves.
No comments:
Post a Comment