Mustapha Abubakar, one of the students abducted from Kuriga in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has shared the harrowing details of his escape from the captors, highlighting moments of stealth and endurance during his ordeal.
Abubakar was among the approximately 280 schoolchildren kidnapped, but he managed to flee along with 27 others, reuniting with their families.
The abducted children, ranging from ages 5 to 18, were subjected to a grueling journey by the bandits, as Abubakar described in an interview with BBC Hausa in Kaduna on Monday. He recounted how they were herded like cattle through the bush, enduring fatigue and thirst.
“We trekked in the bush; sometimes we crawled. We were so thirsty that some of the girls were becoming weak and falling down due to tiredness. The bandits were lifting them up and putting some of them on motorcycles.
“Afterwards, we reached a big river, where we drank water and continued trekking. There was a plane that hovered above us. That was when the bandits ordered us to remove one of our clothes and lie down.
“Even the bandits were exhausted. They had no food and were eating leaves and wild fruits. They gave us nothing to eat.
“While we were moving, I noticed a shrub that was brown in colour, like my trouser. I hid inside and crawled like a snake. I was there until it was completely silent before I came out and headed to the bush.
“I later met an old man who had difficulty walking. I asked him the pathway to the main road or any close place so that I could get water to drink.
“I had a marathon race. I was exhausted, but I pushed on, as evening time was approaching. I later arrived at Gayan, a community near us, and that was how I eventually escaped,” he said.
| Vanguard
