The spate of killings by Boko Haram insurgents has left a huge cloud of fear constantly looming in many parts of the North-East. Persistent attacks of communities by the terror group have left on their trail sorrows, tears and blood.
Scores of communities have been sacked, hundreds brutally killed, and thousands of young children have been made, and are still being made orphans or have lost contact with their family, and are therefore condemned to a life of misery.
Nuhu Silas is among the many young children that have been orphaned by the insurgents and have been left to fend for themselves. He was only 14 years old when he ran away from his home in Chibok, Borno State. When the insurgents sacked his village, Nuhu and his entire family, except his father, ran for their dear lives. They suddenly heard gunshots and scampered into the bush from different directions. His father could not escape with them because he was critically ill and weak. He was hypertensive, and did not want to be a burden in the flight. Hence he urged his family including young Nuhu to run for their lives and never to look back. Nuhu ran along with members of his community and for three days were in the bush. He later came to Biu and from there he managed to come to Lagos. “It wasn’t long that I came into Lagos that one of our village members informed me that he got news that my father had died. He told me that when we all escaped, and Boko Haram was through with their destruction, my father became very worried about what could have happened to us. That made his blood pressure to rise so high that it killed him.”
Nuhu told Saturday Sun that he recently learnt that his mother is doing well in Biu, but he is yet to connect with her and other members of his family. He presently scavenges for survival on the streets of Lagos, where he has taken to begging, and doing menial jobs like carrying loads for pedestrians to feed.
Ayuba Peter was not as lucky as Nuhu. He lost both his parents and two brothers when the insurgents descended on his community, Kwada- a town close to Chibok, killing scores in the onslaught. “They ambushed our village, shooting and shouting Allahu Akbar! More than 60 people were killed in that attack. I managed to escape but my parents and my two brothers were caught and killed in the attack.” According to 16-year-old Ayuba, he is still traumatized by that tragedy as he now lives alone to fend for himself. “I don’t know how I can describe how that incident affects me. I have nightmares often and still cry for myself any time I recall how I lost all my parents in one day”, he said.
Another orphan, a girl whose name will not be mentioned for security reasons recounts how her father and mother were butchered by insurgents right before her. “The attackers stormed our houses in Budum area in Maiduguri and killed my mother and father. I saw how the brutal act was carried out,” she said. “My parents begged the attackers to spare their lives so that they can take care of us but the plea fell on deaf ears,” she added.
Ten-year-old Esther Habila’s case is another pathetic case. She was orphaned after Boko Haram captured Gwoza, Borno State. Esther watched as her parents were butchered by the insurgents right in her presence. She escaped with some people and they trekked to Cameroun for four days, and then later found their way to Yola, Adamawa State. Today, the trauma and torment of all witnessed has refused to leave her. She hardly talks and is still in shock. Her caregivers in the IDP camp said that she just cries most times and screams intermittently.
Just like little Esther, children orphaned by insurgency do not only grapple with losing their parents and fending for themselves at a tender age, they also face the horrors of spending the rest of their lives leaving under perpetual mental torture, psychological and emotional torment. Experts have hinted that these children orphaned by insurgency stand a high chance to suffer Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Dr. Adebayo, PTSD is a condition that develops in response to witnessing or experiencing a threatening or harmful event that elicits fear, helplessness, or horror. He revealed that symptoms of PTSD include persistent re-experiencing of the event, avoidance of things or places related to the event, and persistent symptoms of increased arousal.
PTSD is the most common response to disastrous events in children, occurring in up to 40 per cent of children exposed to disasters and typically within three months after the event. It can still be present more than 15 years after a terrorist event. Other symptoms include depression, anxiety, increased startle response and arousal level, irritability, sleep disturbance, safety and security concerns, restlessness, social isolation, aggression, peer rejection, bullying, school absences, a decline in academic performance, and a decreased interest in previously enjoyed activities or hobbies.
Many more of these orphaned children, with age ranging from three to six years are still so young that they could not even remember their own names, neither those of their parents nor where they hailed from. None of them know why their parents were killed, or even how they became orphans. They do not know what Boko Haram is, or what they represent. Sadly, the number of orphaned kids continues to swell after every attack by the insurgents.
Source: Sun Newspaper
Scores of communities have been sacked, hundreds brutally killed, and thousands of young children have been made, and are still being made orphans or have lost contact with their family, and are therefore condemned to a life of misery.
Nuhu Silas is among the many young children that have been orphaned by the insurgents and have been left to fend for themselves. He was only 14 years old when he ran away from his home in Chibok, Borno State. When the insurgents sacked his village, Nuhu and his entire family, except his father, ran for their dear lives. They suddenly heard gunshots and scampered into the bush from different directions. His father could not escape with them because he was critically ill and weak. He was hypertensive, and did not want to be a burden in the flight. Hence he urged his family including young Nuhu to run for their lives and never to look back. Nuhu ran along with members of his community and for three days were in the bush. He later came to Biu and from there he managed to come to Lagos. “It wasn’t long that I came into Lagos that one of our village members informed me that he got news that my father had died. He told me that when we all escaped, and Boko Haram was through with their destruction, my father became very worried about what could have happened to us. That made his blood pressure to rise so high that it killed him.”
Nuhu told Saturday Sun that he recently learnt that his mother is doing well in Biu, but he is yet to connect with her and other members of his family. He presently scavenges for survival on the streets of Lagos, where he has taken to begging, and doing menial jobs like carrying loads for pedestrians to feed.
Ayuba Peter was not as lucky as Nuhu. He lost both his parents and two brothers when the insurgents descended on his community, Kwada- a town close to Chibok, killing scores in the onslaught. “They ambushed our village, shooting and shouting Allahu Akbar! More than 60 people were killed in that attack. I managed to escape but my parents and my two brothers were caught and killed in the attack.” According to 16-year-old Ayuba, he is still traumatized by that tragedy as he now lives alone to fend for himself. “I don’t know how I can describe how that incident affects me. I have nightmares often and still cry for myself any time I recall how I lost all my parents in one day”, he said.
Another orphan, a girl whose name will not be mentioned for security reasons recounts how her father and mother were butchered by insurgents right before her. “The attackers stormed our houses in Budum area in Maiduguri and killed my mother and father. I saw how the brutal act was carried out,” she said. “My parents begged the attackers to spare their lives so that they can take care of us but the plea fell on deaf ears,” she added.
Ten-year-old Esther Habila’s case is another pathetic case. She was orphaned after Boko Haram captured Gwoza, Borno State. Esther watched as her parents were butchered by the insurgents right in her presence. She escaped with some people and they trekked to Cameroun for four days, and then later found their way to Yola, Adamawa State. Today, the trauma and torment of all witnessed has refused to leave her. She hardly talks and is still in shock. Her caregivers in the IDP camp said that she just cries most times and screams intermittently.
Just like little Esther, children orphaned by insurgency do not only grapple with losing their parents and fending for themselves at a tender age, they also face the horrors of spending the rest of their lives leaving under perpetual mental torture, psychological and emotional torment. Experts have hinted that these children orphaned by insurgency stand a high chance to suffer Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Dr. Adebayo, PTSD is a condition that develops in response to witnessing or experiencing a threatening or harmful event that elicits fear, helplessness, or horror. He revealed that symptoms of PTSD include persistent re-experiencing of the event, avoidance of things or places related to the event, and persistent symptoms of increased arousal.
PTSD is the most common response to disastrous events in children, occurring in up to 40 per cent of children exposed to disasters and typically within three months after the event. It can still be present more than 15 years after a terrorist event. Other symptoms include depression, anxiety, increased startle response and arousal level, irritability, sleep disturbance, safety and security concerns, restlessness, social isolation, aggression, peer rejection, bullying, school absences, a decline in academic performance, and a decreased interest in previously enjoyed activities or hobbies.
Many more of these orphaned children, with age ranging from three to six years are still so young that they could not even remember their own names, neither those of their parents nor where they hailed from. None of them know why their parents were killed, or even how they became orphans. They do not know what Boko Haram is, or what they represent. Sadly, the number of orphaned kids continues to swell after every attack by the insurgents.
Source: Sun Newspaper
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