A nurse who survived nearly six months in captivity after gunmen attacked her community in woro Kwara State has revealed that her two brothers were killed in the raid, while she helped deliver 10 babies without gloves during her time held by the attackers.
Amirah Salihu, daughter of Woro community chief Umar Salihu, spoke to Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, two days after she and other captives regained their freedom.
The New Daily Prime had reported on August 6 that the rescued captives would be taken to Ilorin on Friday.
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Salihu was among the reported 176 women and children taken when gunmen struck Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area on February 3. The Kwara State Government says some children died during the captivity, and 12 people are still being held.
Brothers killed, soldiers absent
Salihu said her father had earlier stopped the attackers from entering the village and had brought in soldiers to guard it. But the soldiers were gone by the time the gunmen returned.
“They just came to our house that day, suddenly, and people came to our house. The way I saw them, I knew that yes, they are Boko Haram, because the way they dressed, I knew that they are Boko Haram,” she said.
Her senior and junior brothers were both killed in the raid.
“They even killed my senior brother and my junior brother. they said because my dad did not allow them to come to our village,” she revealed.
She said the attackers targeted her family because her father had once turned them away from the village.
Asked why the gunmen attacked, Salihu said the group claimed they were carrying out religious instruction and rejected the constitution and democracy.
“That’s the reason why they entered our village, killed everybody,” she said.
Salihu confirmed there was no case of rape or sexual assault among the captives.
No food, babies delivered without gloves
Food was scarce throughout the captivity, Salihu said. On the first day, the captives received only guinea corn with salt and a seasoning cube. After that, they were given a bag of corn daily, with no oil or pepper. On some days, even the seasoning cube stopped.
“There was a day that they didn’t even give us Maggi again, just salt,” she said.
The captives sometimes received kuka, a local food, until the abductors stopped giving it to them. Fruit was occasional, and never guaranteed.
They slept inside a river bed, exposed to frequent rain. When they tried to light a fire for warmth, the gunmen ordered them to put it out.
It was in these conditions that Salihu, trained as a nurse, found herself helping women give birth. She said the abductors asked if any nurse was among the captives, and although she said no at first, she went on to assist anyway.
“I helped like 10 women for the delivery, without gloves. I used my hands to help them,” she said.
She said the gunmen eventually learned she had nursing skills and asked her to stay with them permanently. She refused. “I want to come back,” she said.
Salihu is now among the freed captives receiving care after their return. Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq received the rescued victims in Ilorin on Friday and offered condolences to families of those who died in captivity. He thanked President Bola Tinubu and the military for their part in securing their release.
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