“They gave us a choice – to be married, or to be a slave. I decided to marry,” says 17-year-old Zara, who was last year rescued from Boko Haram’s captivity by the Nigerian army.

But hers is not a story of triumph over the forces of evil, instead it is a sad tale of desolation, loss and stigmatization.

“People call me a Boko Haram wife and called me a criminal. They didn’t want me near. They didn’t like me,” Zara added.

The 17-year-old is faced with the harsh reality of being a Boko Haram bride, so much so that she wishes she was back in the forest rather than continuously suffer the stigma.

According to Vanguard, Zara, who also bore a child for her terrorist husband, was rescued from Sambisa forest following an aerial bombardment of the forest wherein Boko Haram insurgents have their camps and hideout.

Zara’s uncle, Mohamed Umaru, stated that: “The women in our family realised she was three months pregnant.”

“In our family it happens that some of us are Christians and some are Muslims. She was a Christian before she was kidnapped, but the Boko Haram, who married her turned her into a Muslim.”

The decision on whether to keep or abort the pregnancy split the family in two. But the child, a boy, was born and Zara named him Usman after her terrorist husband.

Zara says she is afraid to leave her house over fear of the insults that would be hurled her way by younger children – insults they learned from their parents.

“They didn’t like my child. When he fell sick nobody would look after him,” she said.

Last week, the 9-month-old baby, Usman, died after a snake crawled to where they were sleeping and bit the poor child.

Speaking on her child’s death and the reaction of people, Zara stated that: “Some were happy that he died. They were happy the blood of Boko Haram had gone from the family.”

Mazi Emeka