1 hour, I watched in horror as terorists took turns to rape my 13-year old daughter, says – Survivor

By Samuel Ogunsona

A survivor of gory attacks on indigenous people in Plateau State has spoken on her traumatic harrowing tale of how bandits raped her 13 year old daughter in her presence.

She was one of the victims of Bandits attack in Plateau state

She recounts the horrific ordeal she and her 13-year-old daughter endured at the hands of the bandits.

In a heart-wrenching account, she describes how her husband was killed in cold blood and her daughter gang-raped by five bandits while she was forced to watch.

The devastating attack by Fulani bandits on a community in Plateau State’s Bwai district has left a trail of death and destruction.

The bandits, numbering over 100, invaded the community in the dead of night, killing residents, slaughtering livestock, and burning homes and food stores.

The attack has claimed the life of a vigilante leader, leaving his family shattered.

In a statement sited by Irohinodua, the widow confirms that the trauma has left the young girl with severe physical and emotional scars, and her mother is now seeking help to cope with the aftermath.

Part of her statement reads, “The Fulani bandits, who were over 100, invaded our community around 12 midnight and went from house to house killing people, stealing our livestock, and killing some of them.

“They also burnt down some houses and food silos. When they got to our house, they asked about my husband, who was one of the leaders of the vigilante group. It was clear they knew my husband and had come purposefully to kill him.

“When my husband heard them, he ran into the toilet to hide but when they threatened to kill me and our 13-year-old daughter, he came out and surrendered himself. He begged them to kill him instead and spare me and our daughter.

Luckily, our two older sons were in the boarding school; otherwise, they would have been killed too. One of the Fulani men told my husband, John, yau na ka ya kare. Ba kun kafa kungiya domin ku yi tare mu ba? Ina sauran mutanen ku?’ (John, today will be your end. So you people formed a group to stop us? So where are the remaining members of your group?)

“Having said that, he ordered one small boy who could not be more than 17 years old to shoot my husband, and the boy carried out the orders immediately.

“I was busy begging them not to kill me and my daughter and the leader said they were not out to kill women. The leader was looking at my daughter, somehow, and I feared for the worst. My fears were confirmed when he told my daughter to remove her clothes and lie on the bed, that they were going to have sex with her.

“I begged them not to defile my daughter, and out of desperation, offered to be raped in her place, but they said I was old and they needed to taste a young girl. That was how the five of them gang-raped my little girl, and even when she passed out, they still continued assaulting her.

“I begged them not to defile my daughter, and out of desperation, offered to be raped in her place, but they said I was old and they needed to taste a young girl. That was how the five of them gang-raped my little girl, and even when she passed out, they still continued assaulting her.

“The most heartbreaking part of the ordeal was that they made sure I watched what they were doing, and every time I turned my face away, they would slap me and threaten to shoot me if I refused to look. For over one hour, I watched in horror as the animals took turns to rape my daughter.

“Since the ordeal, the girl has not been the same again. She has become a recluse and hardly talks to anyone. I have not shared this horrible experience with anyone to protect her, but I am opening up now to see if I can get help for my daughter, as her condition is becoming worse. She can no longer control her bladder and urinates on her body without control.

“I am a poor widow just managing to take care of my children but my life has been shattered,” she said, breaking down in tears.

Banditry has become a lucrative business, with armed groups terrorizing communities, killing innocent people, and stealing livestock and other valuables.

However, the situation is further exacerbated by poverty, lack of economic opportunities, and inadequate security measures.

The widespread insecurity in Northern Nigeria has led to a humanitarian crisis, with many people displaced, and livelihoods destroyed.