Hussein once contemplated joining Boko Haram. But when he followed five of his terrorist-friends to their camp tucked deep in the forest, he knew he could not cope with their subversive lifestyle. He was only there for a week, but it was more than enough time. He would not be able to wash off the […]
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One moment, 12-year-old Mustafa* was preparing to write the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination—the final lap in Nigeria’s basic education system. The next, he was teaching Boko Haram recruits how to fire all kinds of guns, having risen through the ranks in the group’s terrifying network of foot soldiers. The young man hails from Abbaganaram, […]
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As she hobbled through the stream and muddy waters, Zuwaira, 28, could feel the long weeds scattered along her path slicing through her skin. Sometimes during this tortuous journey that lasted hours, she saw snakes. Other times, she was mobbed and stung by insects. But they were the least of her worries. Behind her in […]
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When Nigeria’s armed forces recaptured Banki in September 2015, a year after it was seized by Boko Haram, members of the terrorist group sought safety in other villages within Borno State’s Bama Local Government Area. One of those villages was Kote Gana, where 14-year-old Mohammed* lived with his parents and three brothers. Before the invasion, […]
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Nothing about Usman’s* demeanour is menacing. The 25-year-old, thin as a rake, radiates good cheer wherever he goes. He is often in the company of others at one of Maiduguri’s prominent displacement camps, where he lives with two of his wives. Whenever he grinsㅡand he does so generouslyㅡhis lips reveal an adorable set of buck […]
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