INSIDE STORY: Raped, shot, tortured — the scarred survivors of banditry in northern Nigeria
BY Ayodeji Owolabi
January 29, 2022 7:54 AM
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A life disrupted. Normalcy abruptly aborted. A reality filled with uncertainties. Welcome to the everyday life of Nigerians whose existence has been upturned by bandits and kidnappers in northern Nigeria. Since 2013, thousands have abandoned their communities while over 1,000 schoolchildren have been abducted. Victims and survivors now live in fear, traumatised by the jarring reminder of their experiences. In this photo documentation, AYODEJI OWOLABI captures their plights — which are permanently etched on their faces.
Khadija Umar, a Niger state resident, once had a thriving business — but bandits put paid to it.
Ferguson Tobins, senior lecturer at the University of Abuja, was kidnapped by bandits in November 2021.
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Fidelis Obansa, son of a UniAbuja lecturer, was also abducted in November 2021
Faith Mobadi, a farmer from Kaure in Niger state, was ‘raped five times’ by her abductors
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Silas Yohanna, a farmer from Kaure village, says he has lost many people
Subewa Mohammed, student of Government Day Secondary School, Kaya, Zamfara, was lucky to escape
Samaila Dahiru, also a student of GDSS Kaya, was shot by the bandits
Micah Bala, 15, has not been able to sleep peacefully since he was released
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Ubadiya Ayuba doesn’t know his age — but can never forget his ordeal.
Residents of Tukuba village now live in fear
This is a special investigative project by Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF) in partnership with TheCable, supported by the MacArthur Foundation. Published materials are not views of the MacArthur Foundation.