3. We survived Boko Haram
In 2016, as the Nigerian military advanced in its onslaught against the terrorist sect, Boko Haram, we at YNaija took it upon ourselves to tell the stories not told by others – the stories of survivors of the war.
Eromo Egbejule, began the journey with the boy from Bama and moved into the life of Fati Abubakar to the courage of 30-year-old Falmata, who was pregnant with her fifth child when Boko Haram attacked Bama.
6-year-old Jibrin was one of the survivors of a bomb blast at the Maiduguri Modern market which killed his father. Asauten Anderibom, head of operations at a local Microfinance bank, who has witnessed series of bomb blasts says he cannot leave Adamawa, because it’s his home.
There are many unsung heroes in the war against Boko Haram. One of them is, 52-year-old, Abba Aji Khalli, the Commander of the civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), who until 2013 was an auditor with the Borno government. And there are those who fled the terrorists and were left behind by the government to fend for themselves.
The reportage on the success of military in the war was of great concern to one of the survivors as Christiana, an indigene of Borno, took it upon herself to set up a vocational school to train the IDPs.
Abba Mamman was separated from his wife and children for months when the insurgents overran his hometown after the thirteenth try. The family was united after two months as his thirteen-year-old child led her four siblings for three days trekking over 75km through inner villages to Maiduguri.
Smiles came the way of the children in the IDP camps, through the kind gesture of Tabitha Biu and Bukky Shonibare’s Adopt-A-Camp initiative, which raised funds to improve the living conditions of the IDPs.
Sandra Bernard tells the tale of how as an undergraduate of the University of Maiduguri, she and her friends lived in constant fear of being kidnapped by the insurgents.
In August 2016, 23-year-old, Fakhrriyyah Hashim took time out from managing her farm in Abuja to visit Maiduguri, just as 13-year-old, Dorcas Musa shared her experience of how she escaped being sold into slavery by Boko Haram insurgents who kidnapped her and four others from their village.
There was hunger in Maiduguri, just as 28-year old Okechukwu Agu, a bookseller in Hong, narrated his near-death experience with Boko Haram insurgents.
Hassan Hassan, an in-law to a Boko Haram lieutenant says he was saved by the skin, as the terrorists attempted to kill him thrice for his refusal to join them, as requested by his in-law.
27-year old Yakubu Abana, remains unshaken despite losing his father, Pastor Pogu Abana, who was burnt to death by insurgents who raided Chibok town in March 2016.
The men from Hong are calling on the Federal Government to ensure that fertilisers get to them so their crops can grow speedily. Alice Bwala, a receptionist at the City Blues Hotel in Yola, Adamawa says the insurgency crippled the hotel business as patronage dipped.
To ensure that the conversation on Boko Haram survivors continued, YNaija partnered with The Future Project. The 2-hour event tagged Conversations on ‘We Survived Boko Haram’ had in attendance the likes of Waje, Lala Akindoju and Adebola Williams.
4. Profile of Aleey Giwa (Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State)
The Nigeria Police Force is seen by many across the country as the enemy.
Yes! The enemy.
Their slogan, “The Police is your friend”, seems to have no weight among many Nigerians who have encountered one harrowing experience after another in the hands of men of the police.
But one man has chosen to change the game. His name: Aliyu Giwa.
Giwa is the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State. But he is known for his huge followership on social media, especially on Instagram, where he has over 31,000 followers as at today.
His posts on Instagram has helped changed and shape the face of the Police in the eyes of many.
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
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