More than six months passed, and the Chibok girls are still in captivity of Nigerian militant group Boko Haram. As the Nigerian authorities claim a ceasefire agreement is being talked, three girls who escaped their abductors have told their story to BBC.
The names of the girls have been changed for their safety.
Three girls Lami, Maria and Hajara were at Girls’ Goverment Secondary School (GGSS) in Chibok, north-eastern Nigeria, when they were abducted between April 14 and 15 by Boko Haram insurgents. The two best friends, Lami and Maria, regained freedom by jumping from the back of a truck. Hajara was taken to a camp, but later escaped with another girl.
Lami described the night of kidnapping to reporters. She recalled that it was Monday (April 14). They had exams the next day. Then they heard gunfire in the town. Some of the girls went out. Some of them had time to phone their parents to tell what was happening in Chibok. The parents told their daughters to run away when they got the chance. But the town was already surrounded so there was no way to run.
Lami woke Mari told her what was happening. Mari said they should climb the wall and run away.
Other girls said nothing would happen to them because they are girls. They should wait and see what God would do.
Then Boko Haram arrived, gathered girls in school assembly and set the building ablaze.
They asked the girls to get out of the gate, saying that when they were out, they would let them go back to their homes.
Hajara said: “They then asked us to climb on to a lorry, on top of the food loaded in it. The lorry was so high that we couldn’t easily climb on.”
The girls said that Boko Haram claimed that they were only coming to school for prostitution. Western education (Boko), according to insurgents, is sin (Haram).
“We kept quiet. I think there could have been about 100 Boko Haram members – they were all over the school. They outnumbered us. They took us away in their vehicles. We were sitting on oil drums in the vehicle. Our vehicle was really overloaded. We were saying to one another that we should throw away our shoes and scarves so that if our parents came they would know the road we had taken,” Maria continued.
Hajara added: “We stopped at one town and people brought us water. I saw one of those who brought us water changed his clothes and joined the Boko Haram men. They then put us in other vehicles.
“They put the rest in the boots of cars. Some of the Boko Haram members were so small that if I were to grab their necks I could break them. Some couldn’t even carry their guns properly.”
The girls were wondering where they were being taken to. Lami said to her best friend to jump out of the vehicle, so that they may possibly escape, as it did not look good for them.
Hajara’s words: “I thought, it’s preferable to have these people shoot me as I run than have them humiliate me. They kept saying to us: ‘Make sure you put on your scarves. Make sure you put on your scarves. We’ll shoot any girl we see without a scarf. And any girl who jumps out will die.’”
Lamia and Maria jumped from the truck. Lami said that here was a lot of dust on the road, they couldn’t see them.
“When we jumped out, we started to run. We were running without shoes. We found other people. We started to run away from them thinking they were Boko Haram. But they too had run from the town,” Maria said.
The third girl, Hajara, narrated her story: “Boko Haram gathered us in a forest around noon. Some of the girls were tired and were lying down. But I couldn’t lie down. The spirit of God was asking me to go. It was telling me: ‘Get up and go. Get up and go.’”
So she went. Another girl followed her. When they were going she saw some of them performing bathing. “We stooped as if we were trying to pull out thorns from our shoes, as if we were just going to wee. We’d walk a little then bend down for a little while as if we were looking for something we’d lost,” she said.
After walking for a while they couldn’t see them properly since it was forest. The girls then started to run. After they had run for a short distance, they heard their abductors shouting “catch those girls.” The girls kept running.
The girls said that people helped them to get their homes at last. They were so happy to hug their parents so they can’t stop crying.
Lami, Maria and Hajara shared their current fears.
Lami said: “My parents warmed up water and cared for my feet. I was taken to the hospital and it was two weeks before I could stand up.”
Maria’s words: “I continued to live with the thought that Boko Haram members were coming to get me. I couldn’t sleep.”
Hajara: “I was having nightmares every day. There was even a day when I dreamed that they gathered all of us who fled in one place, and said to us: “You girls have defied us and fled. We’re now going to burn you alive.”
The girls haven’t forgotten about the other girls who are still in the hands of those people.
The names of the girls have been changed for their safety.
Photo: BBC
Lami described the night of kidnapping to reporters. She recalled that it was Monday (April 14). They had exams the next day. Then they heard gunfire in the town. Some of the girls went out. Some of them had time to phone their parents to tell what was happening in Chibok. The parents told their daughters to run away when they got the chance. But the town was already surrounded so there was no way to run.
Other girls said nothing would happen to them because they are girls. They should wait and see what God would do.
Then Boko Haram arrived, gathered girls in school assembly and set the building ablaze.
Photo: BBC
Hajara said: “They then asked us to climb on to a lorry, on top of the food loaded in it. The lorry was so high that we couldn’t easily climb on.”
The girls said that Boko Haram claimed that they were only coming to school for prostitution. Western education (Boko), according to insurgents, is sin (Haram).
Photo: BBC
Hajara added: “We stopped at one town and people brought us water. I saw one of those who brought us water changed his clothes and joined the Boko Haram men. They then put us in other vehicles.
“They put the rest in the boots of cars. Some of the Boko Haram members were so small that if I were to grab their necks I could break them. Some couldn’t even carry their guns properly.”
The girls were wondering where they were being taken to. Lami said to her best friend to jump out of the vehicle, so that they may possibly escape, as it did not look good for them.
Hajara’s words: “I thought, it’s preferable to have these people shoot me as I run than have them humiliate me. They kept saying to us: ‘Make sure you put on your scarves. Make sure you put on your scarves. We’ll shoot any girl we see without a scarf. And any girl who jumps out will die.’”
Lamia and Maria jumped from the truck. Lami said that here was a lot of dust on the road, they couldn’t see them.
Photo: BBC
The third girl, Hajara, narrated her story: “Boko Haram gathered us in a forest around noon. Some of the girls were tired and were lying down. But I couldn’t lie down. The spirit of God was asking me to go. It was telling me: ‘Get up and go. Get up and go.’”
So she went. Another girl followed her. When they were going she saw some of them performing bathing. “We stooped as if we were trying to pull out thorns from our shoes, as if we were just going to wee. We’d walk a little then bend down for a little while as if we were looking for something we’d lost,” she said.
Photo: BBC
The girls said that people helped them to get their homes at last. They were so happy to hug their parents so they can’t stop crying.
Photo: BBC
Lami said: “My parents warmed up water and cared for my feet. I was taken to the hospital and it was two weeks before I could stand up.”
Maria’s words: “I continued to live with the thought that Boko Haram members were coming to get me. I couldn’t sleep.”
Hajara: “I was having nightmares every day. There was even a day when I dreamed that they gathered all of us who fled in one place, and said to us: “You girls have defied us and fled. We’re now going to burn you alive.”
The girls haven’t forgotten about the other girls who are still in the hands of those people.
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