They Poured Petr0l On My Head And Set Me Abl∆ze’ –  D!splaced Farmer Recounts Horr0r Ordeal In Bandit Att∆ck

 

They Poured Petrol On My Head And Set Me Ablaze’ –  Displaced Farmer Recounts Horror Ordeal In Bandit Attack

They poured petrol on me and set me on fire, right on my head. They struck a match and lit it, then they just left

Katsina State– A displaced resident of Katsina State, Aliyu Hassan, has narrated the horrifying ordeal he suffered after terrorists suspected to be bandits tied him up, poured petrol on him and set him on fire during an attack in Rumu village, Batagarawa Local Government Area of the state.

Hassan, who spoke in Hausa language in a video obtained by Afrika Eyes, recounted how he survived the brutal attack by repeatedly rolling in the sand while screaming for help until the fire eventually went out.

“They poured petrol on me and set me on fire, right on my head. They struck a match and lit it, then they just left,” Hassan said painfully.

“I kept screaming for help and rolling on the ground, rolling and rolling in the sand. By God’s mercy, the fire eventually went out.”

The victim, who is currently displaced and taking refuge in Katsina town, said he and several others had already been forced out of their homes by persistent attacks in their community before the incident occurred.

According to him, he had only returned to the farm because it was farming season and he needed to work despite the insecurity ravaging the area.

“At first, I was on the farm working when the attackers came. I didn’t even know they were coming,” he said.

“When I tried to run, they chased me. If I had tried to escape, they would have shot me, so I stopped.”

Hassan explained that the armed men demanded money and his mobile phone, but he told them he had nothing on him.

“They stood there and demanded money and my phone, but I told them I didn’t have any,” he said.

“They said my father had money and that I should take them to our house.”

The victim added that he informed the attackers that his family had already been displaced from their home and that he only came back temporarily to cultivate farmland.

“We had already been displaced before and driven from our homes,” he explained.

“I told them I had only come to work on the farm because it was farming season.”

According to him, the assailants then decided to torture him in a shocking manner.

“They said, ‘Then you are going to bathe,’” Hassan recounted.

“They dragged me to a nearby hut and tied me up. They tied my legs and hands, poured petrol on my head, struck a lighter, and set me ablaze before leaving.”

He said he screamed continuously while struggling to survive the flames.

“I screamed and rolled on the ground, rolling in the sand until, by God’s mercy, the fire went out.”

Describing the aftermath, Hassan revealed that he remained helpless and badly injured until a passerby came to his rescue.

“I was sitting there helpless when a kind man came and helped me,” he said.

“He lifted me up and took me into town to a hospital where they treated me.”

According to Hassan, he was initially treated near Malumfashi before being referred to Katsina General Hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

“It was somewhere near Malumfashi,” he said.

“After the treatment there, they referred me to Katsina. We came to Katsina General Hospital, and after treatment there they told us to go to Batagarawa.”

“When we got there, they said they could not handle it and referred us again to the medical center.”

The victim further disclosed that some residents later directed them to a traditional burns specialist in Kawari village along Ingawa road.

“Then some good people told us about a village called Kawari along the Ingawa road, where there was a man who treated burns,” he said.

“They said that by God’s will, if we went there, I might recover.”

“So we went, and the man treated me and applied medicine to my body. After that, we returned to town.”

Hassan said the burns severely affected several parts of his body.

“My face, neck, chest, and also my hands,” he said when asked where he sustained injuries.

He confirmed that the attack occurred in Rumu village in Batagarawa Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Speaking about his current condition, Hassan said he still experiences severe pain and discomfort from the burns.

“Sometimes I feel severe pain, and at other times I feel itching and irritation,” he said.

“When I drink cold water, it cools me a little.”

“Sometimes when the sun is hot, I can’t even move around freely and have to stay indoors away from people.”

Hassan also revealed that one of the attackers stayed behind to watch him burn after the others left.

“There were about five of them on motorcycles,” he said.

“After they set me on fire, four of them left while one stayed behind watching me roll on the ground as the fire kept burning.”

 

“Eventually he also left me there. By the power of God, while I kept rolling, the fire finally went out.”

Explaining how his hands were also badly affected, he said the flames spread as he struggled on the ground.

“The fire spread while I was lying down and rolling on the ground,” he said.

“That is how the burns reached my hands too.”

Despite surviving the attack, Hassan said his family has still not been able to return home due to fear of further violence.

“No. We are still here in Katsina town,” he said when asked if they had returned to their village.

“Honestly, we have not returned home.”

“We are staying at Sabon Layi among displaced people, and we don’t even have a proper place to live.”

He disclosed that they currently depend on donations and humanitarian assistance for survival.

“As for food, we survive on the food aid distributed by charitable people,” he said.

Asked about the homes they fled, Hassan said the houses remain standing but residents are too afraid to return.

“They are still there, but we are unable to go back,” he added.

The victim ended his emotional account with prayers for peace and security to return to affected communities across Katsina State and the wider North-West region.

“We pray that this government will bring peace,” Hassan said.

“May God bring an end to all this suffering and return everyone safely to their homes.”

“May God bless us with prosperity and a peaceful life.”