Bandits K!lled My Children In My Presence, F0rced Us To Live In Bushes – Displaced Woman In Niger State
Bandits Killed My Children In My Presence, Forced Us To Live In Bushes – Displaced Woman In Niger State
Survivors described hiding in pits and sleeping in the bush while receiving little or no assistance from authorities.
Hajara Ya’u Madawaki, a displaced woman from Tudun Magaji community of Kontangora local government area of Niger state, has recounted how bandits killed her children during an attack that forced residents to flee their homes.
Survivors described hiding in pits and sleeping in the bush while receiving little or no assistance from authorities.
Madawaki spoke about the deaths of her children during the attack in a video clip obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday.
“My children were killed before my eyes. Some were taken away and only their bodies were returned to us. Some of us have never even seen their bodies. We spent nights gasping for breath, hiding in pits. We received no help from the authorities. We were forced to leave our town, not because we wanted to,” she said.
She also explained how displaced families are managing basic needs after leaving their homes.
“Some of us rely on the roofing sheets of our houses that we were displaced from. We hope we will go back to remove and sell to be able to pay for house rent,” Madawaki said.
On relief support, Madawaki said the assistance provided rarely reaches the affected families.
“There is no any form of palliative, the little ones we often see, it is the non-displaced people that will rush to collect them. We don’t receive anything and the leaders and people of the community are aware of it,” she added.
She also addressed the issue of security in the community.
“The government should help us with military and security personnel. I think if the personnel are attached to our community, bandits will be afraid to attack us. But often times when these security personnel are sent to protect us, you will see them far in the outskirts of the community and sometimes immediately they leave or when the bandits see that they are far away, they will carry out the attacks,” she said.
Madawaki described the conditions residents endure while in hiding.
“We have slept in the bush, under the tree, under the grass and in the rain and sun. The government should help us. Sometimes we will be sleeping and you will just see them coming and that is how we will start running for our lives,” she added.
