When Shu’aibu Ahmadu was minding his own business working on his farm one day towards the end of 2012, he had no idea that the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS) were on their way to take control of the town and all its residents for more than a year – or that he would end up in a rehabilitation camp in Gombe State for eight years.

Ahmadu, who lived in Kumshe, a ward under the Bama Local Government Area in Borno State, was finally reunited with his family just two months ago.

He told RNI reporter Zainab Alhaji Ali what living under JAS – better known as Boko Haram – rule was like.

“We were living peacefully in Kumshe when the insurgents stormed our town. They took control of it and we were at the mercy of Boko Haram for just over a year. They did not torture us as long as we did whatever they told us to do. They ran the town, so all its residents – including women, children and the elderly – were under their control.

“We were forced to read the Qur’an every day, work on our farms to produce food for them, we had to wear shorts, not long trousers, and we were not allowed to shave. We all had to grow beards. And, if anyone was caught trying to escape, they would more than likely be killed,” Ahmadu said.

“We were lucky in one way because they never forced us to take up arms or take part in any attacks. But we were allowed to do only what they said we could do. They had complete control over us. We had to attend all their reading classes [the Qur’an] and do chores. Most of us were farmers so, as long as we went to our lands and produced food, they did not bother us too much.”

But, he said, escaping was just about impossible. It would mean escaping either with or without their families. If they took their families they would be noticed almost immediately and they might all be killed. And they did not want to go alone because it would mean leaving their wives and children at the mercy of the insurgents. Ahmadu was married with five children.

“If you were brave enough to try to escape, the best time was between 2am and 3am. But there was still a chance the insurgents would see you and kill you. They told us firmly and made it very clear that would-be escapees would be shot dead if they were caught.

“There was a day when we tried to escape. It was after midnight and the insurgents saw us, so we ran back to our houses. That was the night my elder brother went missing. Instead of running back home with us, he carried on trying to flee from the insurgents. Since that night we have not seen or heard from him. We don’t know if the insurgents caught and killed him, or if he got to safety. I fear he is dead, but I still have not lost hope that we will meet again,” Ahmadu said.

“After our attempted and aborted escape, the insurgents continued to run the town for three more months. Then, one day, the Nigerian troops stormed the town and that was when we were able to make our escape. We ran into Cameroon because that was the only safe route we could take. We lived in Gulujan for a while before the Cameroonian troops handed us over to Nigerian soldiers in Banki in the Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.”

Ahmadu said he was relieved because he believed he would soon be reunited with his family and friends.

“But I was wrong. The troops kept us in Bama for four days. There, we saw many of our relatives and friends who had also escaped. Unfortunately, my brother was not one of them. The soldiers in Bama soon separated us, taking the women, children and the elderly somewhere else. We, who were the younger ones, were taken to Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, where we stayed for three months.

“We all still hoped that would be the end of our ordeal. But then we were sent for detention in the Maximum Security Prison in Maiduguri. And, after that, the authorities took us to a place in Gombe State where we stayed for eight years.

“We were sent to be ‘rehabilitated’ even though we were not insurgents. The authorities told us that it was because we had been living with the insurgents and that we had to be screened to confirm that we were not members of Boko Haram.

“While we were in Gombe, they taught us some skills so that we would be able to make a living when we were back in our communities. We could choose to learn to weld, cut hair, repair shoes and do woodwork. I chose to learn how to repair shoes.”

Ahmadu said when they were finally released after being rehabilitated, they were each given ₦10,000 to pay for their transport to Maiduguri. Once there, they were given a further ₦10,000 to buy a thobe – the long gowns worn by Muslim men – shoes and a pair or trousers.

“I felt overwhelmed because I could not wait to see my family again. At first it was difficult to locate them. But the International Organisation for Migration [IOM] helped to link us with our people. They took our data and pictures and soon we were reunited.”

Ahmadu said he and his family were now happily living in Maiduguri. “I have not been stigmatised by society or faced any challenges since my return. People were happy to see me and I was happy too.”

He said he was now making a living by selling food items in Maiduguri. “After everything, I’m now settled and happy living amid my people. I decided not to repair shoes and instead I used the ₦10,000 I received as capital to start my business selling rice, maize, cooking oil and other foodstuffs.”

AISHA SD JAMAL