AMINATA (not her real name), 17, was taken by the Islamic group from
her hometown, Borno State in Nigeria two years ago and married off to an
insurgent. She had no choice but to live with the group who made her
‘witness terrible things.
This interview was conducted in a protective location by a female
UNICEF Nigeria Child Protection Officer on October 14 and was taken from
the Daily Mail of UK.
“They saw me at my uncle’s house during their first attack on our
town. I have lived with my uncle since I was two years old. My
biological father and family live in Cameroon.
“Boko Haram invaded the town and convinced my uncle to join them.
They also asked if there were any girls in his compound. They offered
N1,000 for each girl.
“I was sitting next to my grandmother when they dragged me to a car.
They took 14 other girls from my neighbourhood to an unknown location
outside my town. I was held there for two months and then I was forced
to marry one of the insurgents.
“Before you marry an insurgent, you are a maid. You wash plates and
cook for the insurgents. But when you get married, you become a wife and
also focus on only him.
“The ‘wedding’ had nothing. There was no clothing, no lotions, no
creams, no presents. It was just in my old clothes that I went to the
house of my ‘husband’, which was just a hut with a room in it. That was
where we lived.
“Every time he wanted to have sex, I refused. He would rape me and
beat me up. I cannot count the number of times he has beaten me.
“I lived there with the armed group for two years. It was a very bad
experience. I have witnessed terrible things, including the slaughtering
of women in a town by the insurgents.
“They killed women who refused to marry them. Once, they caught
someone who had married another wife without telling them. They buried
him up to his head in the ground. Then they stoned his head until he
died. It was a public punishment that we were forced to watch.
“In some villages, when they attack, they steal cattle and sell it
off before feeding their wives and children. We didn’t ever have enough
food. And any food we did get didn’t have any condiments. The insurgents
have to steal food from villages or attack villages before we eat. They
don’t have any food.
“My ‘husband’ had three wives before me who became suicide bombers.
But he decided he wanted me to remain as his ‘wife’. Two weeks later, he
married another wife.
“My ‘husband’ told me that if he decided or wanted to, he would send
me and my co-wife to town as suicide bombers. I was so scared.
“Three days after that, I told one of the women that I was going to a
nearby village to visit my grandmother. My ‘husband’ gave me three days
for the visit.
I was with my grandmother in that village when the military arrived to fight the insurgents.
“After the fighting, the military took me with them to Bama. I was in
Bama with the military for a month before I was brought here.
“My uncle and his brothers are still with the insurgents, and I have
seen them carry out terrible acts, including killing people.
“I really miss my family, and I wish I could see them again. We have
been separated for too long. They live in Cameroon. I sincerely hope
that everyone who has been taken like me can leave Boko Haram and be
reintegrated back into society.
“My co-wife used to tell me to stop thinking about my parents, but
she also said, ‘don’t worry, you will find them one day.’ I hope it is
true.
“I have been living as an IDP here in this camp for four months. I am
pregnant. When I discovered I was pregnant, I was so unhappy, because
it was my ‘husband’ who did it.
“The pregnancy is very difficult for me, but people here in the camp
have been kind. People ask me how I escaped, and when I tell them, they
glory to God.
“It is good, because, although people know I was with the insurgents,
so far, no one has treated me badly. I live with people from my local
government area here in the camp.
“They have been very supportive. I only have a craving for certain foods which I cannot get here, and to see my family.
“I hope to get married one day in the future and to start a business.
But because I have never been in school, I cannot start doing that now,
unfortunately.
“I also want villagers who had to flee the conflict to remain here
for a while and not rush back to their towns and villages to resettle.
We suffered there tremendously.
“But I am extremely happy I am no longer with the insurgents. I want
to thank all the people who have helped me. All I want now is to see my
family again.”
