"We Spent 6 Months Sleeping in the Rain”: Freed Woro Captives Narrate Life in Terrorists’ Den

By Victor Idajil

Fatima Mohammed is one of 145 people rescued from Woro, Kwara State, and handed over to the Niger State Government by the Federal Government. She says the last 6 months and 2 weeks of her life were spent outdoors, with little food, no change of clothes, and zero freedom.

Speaking in Niger State on Thursday after her release, a visibly relieved Fatima said her only thought now is getting back to her family.  
“I am very excited because I am going to be reunited with my family again,” she said.

Fatima described how the group survived in the terrorists’ camp.  
“There were no rooms to sleep in. We slept in the open, even when it was raining. We did not have clothes to change. Whenever our clothes got soaked by the rain, they dried on our bodies because we had nothing else to wear,” she said.  

She added that hunger and harsh treatment were constant companions during their captivity.

For 17-year-old Isyaka Ahmed, another of the freed abductees, the worst moment came when he tried to run away.  
“They threatened to kill me when I tried to escape,” he said.  
Isyaka said hunger and exhaustion wore them down daily, and revealed that some boys are still being held by the gunmen.  

But despite the trauma, both Fatima and Isyaka said they feel grateful to be alive and back with their families.

The victims were received on behalf of the Niger State Governor by the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Dantoro.  

The Emir called it a day of celebration for the emirate.  
“Today is like a Sallah day in our kingdom,” he said, while appreciating God and security operatives for securing the release of the abductees.