(Victim Burying. Photo by BBC)
A kidnap survivor identified only as Aisha has recounted the harrowing experience of being forced by bandits in Zamfara State to bury her own children and other captives who died during their time in the bush.
Zamfara, alongside Katsina and Sokoto states, remains one of the major flashpoints of banditry in northwestern Nigeria, where communities continue to face abductions, attacks, displacement, and the imposition of levies by armed groups.
Speaking in an interview, Aisha whose swollen feet bear visible signs of months of suffering said she and her three children were seized along with other passengers after bandits opened fire on the vehicle they were travelling in, forcing it to stop before marching them into the forest.
Aisha, the sole survivor of her family of four, said she spent six months and five days in captivity, enduring hunger, illness, and the unimaginable trauma of losing all three of her children.
She recounted being forced to bury every captive who died during the ordeal, including her own children, after the bandits killed two of them and ordered her to bury their bodies.
Her infant son later died from injuries inflicted by the captors; she described pleading with the bandits not to feed his remains to their dogs, and was ultimately handed a spade and made to bury him herself.
She said the memory of her children crying from hunger, pain, and repeated beatings continues to haunt her.
Aisha eventually escaped under cover of darkness around midnight, spending three days navigating her way out of the forest before reaching a settlement.
She has since appealed for urgent medical care and food support to help her recover from the ordeal.
This is an extremely distressing account. If you or anyone you know has experienced trauma like this, please consider reaching out to a trusted professional or support organization for help.
