A Boko Haram survivor, James Yaduma, has given a graphic and detailed account of how he lost almost all the members of his family to the violent terrorist group, Boko Haram.
Yaduma, a native of Zha, Hong Local Local Government Area of Adamawa State, who currently resides in Mararaba Gurku near Abuja, in his account narratwd to Mohammed Ismail of Leadership Newspaper, revealed how members of his family were burnt alive by the Boko haram insurgents when they attacked Zha.
Yaduma, who said his life will never remain the same, said he witnessed how his aged father, mother and other relatives were burnt alive by the insurgents.
“They struck our village in the wee hours of that fateful Friday and started shooting indiscriminately leading to the death of many residents.
“My aged parents, who could not run for dear lives, were trapped in our family house where the insurgents met them, set a bonfire and threw them inside alive,” he narrated.
According to Yaduma, he was the only one who was able to escape the insurgents among the family members who were at home that fateful day because he hid himself in an obscure part of the house.
“When I started hearing gun shots, I instantly knew that Boko Haram had struck our village having taken over Mubi and other parts of the state. Since they took over Mubi, we could not sleep anymore as we knew very soon our village will come under attack,” he said, adding that after surviving the the attack, he had to trek for three weeks inside bushes not knowing his whereabout until he was lucky to meet some cattle rearers who were kind enough to accommodate him for some days before showing him the way.
“After I escaped, I set out to Abuja since I know I have relatives here. I trekked most of the distance from Hong to Abuja but at intervals some spirited motorists do offer some help after hearing my ordeal,” he said.
Yaduma, who now scoop sand from a stream in Mararaba Gurku to make a living, appealed to the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari to do all he can to secure and free the nation from insurgent activities.
“I am appealing to President- elect, whom I believe is an upright man to do all within his power to restore peace in Nigeria as many people have been made to suffer unnecessarily, having lost their lives and properties to the insurgency.
“Some of us want to return back to our villages but we cannot do so; all our houses, businesses and farms have been destroyed,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment