She Cleaned Boko Haram Guns Before Escaping Sambisa

Maryam Ibrahim escaped captivity after she cleaned guns and arranged ammunition in Sambisa Forest. (Digital Illustration: GoBeyondLocal)

She Cleaned Boko Haram Guns Before Escaping Sambisa

Maryam Ibrahim picked up a bucket and walked towards the place where water could be fetched. Around her, the men who had taken her into the forest carried on with the day as they usually did.

To them, she was going for water.

That was exactly what Maryam wanted them to believe.

She had already tried to escape once. This time, she planned to leave the forest with the bucket in her hand, and she planned to keep walking until the people behind her could no longer catch her.

Her journey into that forest began in Madagali, Adamawa State, after armed men came into the community with a story that their members needed food. Ordinary activity continued around the community, and the women had little reason to expect that the visit would end with their abduction.

The situation took a deadly turn.

The women were asked to line up to collect foodstuff. A hole was dug. A small boy appeared with a gun. Several people were shot. A vehicle was brought forward, and the women were ordered to follow. Refusal meant death.

About 50 women were taken.

Their faces were covered during the journey, so they had little chance to see where the road was taking them. By the time the coverings came off, the women were in Sambisa Forest. Groups of people were already living there.

Maryam was 32 years old.

Life inside the forest soon became a routine built around fear and forced labour. Armed men controlled the women. Maryam joined a group where she was treated as property. Food was scarce. At times, she received only garri mixed with water.

Her body also went through experiences she later found difficult to remember. Illness brought another danger because medical attention depended on the people holding them captive.

Maryam cleaned guns for the armed men who held her captive. She also arranged bullets for their operations. She fetched water and gathered firewood. She moved through the forest to perform the jobs expected of her while the armed men prepared for their activities.

Whenever the men went away for operations, food sometimes became easier to reach. Maryam took food whenever she found an opportunity. Those small chances helped her stay alive.

All the while, she kept thinking about escape.

Her first attempt failed.

The people guarding the women usually stayed behind when others went out, so escape required more than simply running. Maryam needed a moment when the guards lost attention. She also needed enough distance from the people watching her to make an escape.

That moment eventually came when the guards fell asleep.

Maryam picked up a bucket and acted as though she was going to fetch water. She moved away from the place where the women were being held. The ordinary object helped make her movement appear harmless.

Then she ran.

She was soon joined by another captive.

During the escape, Maryam came across a boy who had been tied to a tree with mosquito netting. She stopped and helped him out. She then dropped the bucket so both of them could move faster.

They ran together.

The forest stretched around them. The road ahead offered no promise that somebody would stop for two people emerging from such a place. Eventually, they reached a road. Another problem waited there.

People were afraid to help them.

Their appearance made some people think they were mentally unwell. The pair waited without assistance until a man finally stopped. He took them to a barracks. The two escapees received food and shelter while they recovered.

They stayed there for four months.

After that period, Maryam left the barracks and reached a community where people welcomed her and gave her accommodation. Her life had moved from captivity to survival outside the forest, while the losses behind her were enormous.

Maryam had seven children.

Two had died during the conflict, while three were still missing. Her father and husband had also been killed, along with other members of her family.

Even after she escaped the forest, one part of her journey was still unfinished. She wanted to find the children who were still missing.

She held onto the hope that the same thing that had happened to other families could happen to hers. One day, people separated by the conflict could find one another again.