“Words cannot do justice to what I suffered”
In 2014, the then-7-year-old Maryamu Joseph was abducted alongside 21 others by the terror group Boko Haram. Two months ago, Maryamu managed to escape her captors. She recently spoke to Patience Ibile from ACN about her experience.
By ACN Staff
Maryamu Joseph. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
Maryamu was kidnapped at the age of seven following an attack on her village by Boko Haram. Maryamu spoke about the suffering she went through after Boko Haram seized her:
Maryamu Joseph. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
“After a killing spree that left countless dead, they took 22 of us into a thick forest, we trekked for 22 days before arriving at our destination. They put the Christians in cages, like animals. The first thing they did was forcefully convert us to Islam. They changed my name to Aisha, a Muslim name, and warned us not to pray as Christians, or we would be killed. When I turned 10, they wanted to marry me to one of their bosses, but I refused. As punishment, they locked me in a cage for an entire year. They brought food once a day and pushed it under the door without ever opening the cage.”
In November 2019, two of Maryamu’s siblings were also kidnapped and brought to the same camp where she was being held. To Maryamu’s horror, the militants beheaded her brother right in front of her and then dismembered his body. Maryamu was left traumatized:
“A few days later I started having nightmares, I started hallucinating. I saw people and heard voices that I don’t even know. Sometimes armed people came close to me, to hurt me. When I screamed, I would feel a hand on my shoulder, and one of my fellows would say: “Calm down! Breathe! You will be fine.” That was when I realised it was just a dream.”
Eventually, in July of this year, at 16, Maryamu managed to escape the camp. She described how she escaped:
“On 8 July 2022, at around 1 .00 a.m., the camp was quiet, and everybody was asleep except my fellow hut members and I. The twelve of us decided to run away. At first, I was confused whether to stay because of my younger sister, who was in another hut, but I figured I could spend the rest of my life in this camp, so I had to leave, no matter what. We snuck out of the camp and ran through the thick forest. We kept going as long as our legs would carry us, for two days, until we finally arrived in Maiduguri on 10 July 2022. When we arrived, I fainted, and when I woke up I was in the arms of a good Samaritan. He gave us water and food to recover our strength and later I came to the Church-run camp.”
Maryuma was brought to a Church-run trauma centre that helps treat the victims of Boko Haram’s violence and terror. ACN supports the centre. Maryuma told us that after spending nine years in Boko Haram's captivity from the age of 7 to 16, she could not stand to be around any men. The centre has helped her to overcome this.
The trauma centre has also allowed Mayuma to rekindle her Christian Faith:
Maiduguri Diocese Trauma Centre under construction. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
“The first thing they did was to pray for me and encourage me to come back to my faith. I am happy to return to Christianity. Since I returned to Maiduguri the pain has decreased. I am hoping that, with time, God will help me overcome my bitterness and embrace peace, though I do not see that happening any time soon. I still feel that pain echoing in my ears. I still have nightmares, though not as bad as before. Thanks to the Trauma Centre I no longer hallucinate.”
Maryuma has been honest that it has been difficult at times:
“Coming back to Christianity after nine years of practicing Islam involves a lot of hard work. It looks almost impossible at first. My mind is still heavy, full of anger, bitterness, and anguish. The pain comes and goes. One minute I am happy, the next minute the sorrow returns.”
She has also been honest that, at the moment, she cannot forgive her former captors and her brother’s murderers. She said that she is still processing everything that happened to her over the nine years, and once she has finished doing that, she’ll be able to start thinking about forgiveness. Maryuma is also catching up on her education, which she missed out on while held by Boko Haram.
Maryuma received help at the Maiduguri Diocese Trauma Centre in Maiduguri. The centre heal the victims of Boko Haram’s violence and terrorism and was built with financial assistance from ACN. The centre has not officially opened yet, but it has already treated 20 people. Once fully opened, the centre will be able to treat 40 people at any one time. If you would like to support projects like this, please donate to ACN.