BRAVE schoolgirls who escaped from an Islamist militant group in Nigeria have told of their harrowing ordeal at the hands of Boko Haram.
In exclusive vision obtained by SKY UK, some girls targeted by the kidnappers told how they had escaped from the gun-toting terrorists.
One said she had hidden in a tree overnight, while another said she had fled after being put in a truck and taken into a forest.
The first thing the Boko Haram insurgents did when they stopped to camp in the forest near a village called Baale after the kidnapping, was put some of the girls to work cooking looted food.
Others were taken at gunpoint to carry water.
“I was one of those chosen to cook,” a 16-year-old said in a phone interview, recalling the kidnapping last month of more than 300 girls at a boarding school in Chibok.
The girl said her mind raced as she stirred the pot of rice over a wood fire. The Boko Haram gunmen had the group surrounded, constantly watching.
“My mind was busy, thinking of a way to escape,” she said. “I and two other girls were close together, speaking softly, and we came up with a plan.”
The girls told the gunmen they needed to relieve themselves. They were allowed to walk into the bush.
“As soon as we were out of sight of the gunmen, we fled and we ran for about two hours,” the girl said.
Eventually, the three stumbled across a group of Fulani herders, who rescued them.
“Like millions of people across the globe, my husband and I are outraged and heartbroken over the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian girls from their school dormitory in the middle of the night,” she said in the address.
In exclusive vision obtained by SKY UK, some girls targeted by the kidnappers told how they had escaped from the gun-toting terrorists.
One said she had hidden in a tree overnight, while another said she had fled after being put in a truck and taken into a forest.
The first thing the Boko Haram insurgents did when they stopped to camp in the forest near a village called Baale after the kidnapping, was put some of the girls to work cooking looted food.
Others were taken at gunpoint to carry water.
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| Chibok school girls who escaped from the Boko Haram Islamists gather to receive information from officials. Pic: AFP PHOTO/STR Source: AFP |
The girl said her mind raced as she stirred the pot of rice over a wood fire. The Boko Haram gunmen had the group surrounded, constantly watching.
“My mind was busy, thinking of a way to escape,” she said. “I and two other girls were close together, speaking softly, and we came up with a plan.”
The girls told the gunmen they needed to relieve themselves. They were allowed to walk into the bush.
“As soon as we were out of sight of the gunmen, we fled and we ran for about two hours,” the girl said.
Eventually, the three stumbled across a group of Fulani herders, who rescued them.
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| Lucky escape ... One of the Chibok school girls who escaped from the Boko Haram Islamists. Pic: AFP PHOTO/STR Source: AFP |
According to police, 53 girls had escaped from the gunmen as of Friday, and 276 remained missing.
Officials in Borno state, where Chibok is located, identified the girls who had escaped, saying some had fled on the day of the kidnapping, and others got away later.
Another girl told of bravely escaping under a hail of gunfire.
“They took us away in a convoy of lorries.
We travelled through the night before reaching the final destination in the forest,” she said.
“The following day we were sent to fetch water. That was when we seized the opportunity and bolted.
“Even when they were shooting at us, we took the chance and God helped us arrive in Chibok two days later.”
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| Emma Watson |
Most of the other 300-plus girls were not so lucky.
Leaders in the United States, Britain and France have offered to help recover the abductees as a global Twitter campaign, #BringBackOurGirls, supported by celebrities such as Mia Farrow, Angelina Jolie, Alicia Keyes and Emma Watson, gains pace.
US first lady Michelle Obama has even taken the rare step of delivering President Barack Obama’s weekly radio address to express outrage over the kidnappings.
“Like millions of people across the globe, my husband and I are outraged and heartbroken over the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian girls from their school dormitory in the middle of the night,” she said in the address.
“This unconscionable act was committed by a terrorist group determined to keep these girls from getting an education — grown men attempting to snuff out the aspirations of young girls.”
Please be praying for these girls. They will have to be rescued by westerners as Goodluck Jonathon is in no hurry to bring this story to an end.
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