Skip to main content

Boko Haram Victim Narrates How Nigerian Women Were 'Stripped Almost Naked' By Cameroonian Soldiers

“We had nothing to do but to resolve to prayers which we continuously did until we were eventually rescued. So when we were pushed to the Cameroonian territory, we were humiliated there too. Because we were stripped almost naked by the Cameroonian soldiers."

Image

Kella Haruna, a female victim of the insugency in the north-east, has explained how she and other female victims were “humiliated” and maltreated by both Cameroonian and Nigerian Soldiers.

Haruna said this on Thursday, at an event organised by Amnesty International (AI), in Abuja. 

She said: “After liberating Banki, in fact the authorities were in Banki but we in the villages were left in the authority of Boko Haram.

“We had nothing to do but to resolve to prayers which we continuously did until we were eventually rescued. So when we were pushed to the Cameroonian territory, we were humiliated there too. Because we were stripped almost naked by the Cameroonian soldiers. 

“We were later transferred to Banki. We were in Banki for four days; no food, no water, until we were eventually transferred to Bama camp.”

The Nigerian chapter of the international body released its report on how Boko Haram victims in different Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps were raped by the soldiers and forced to exchange sex for food.

In the detailed report and video published by Saharareporters, the women chronicled how they succumbed to soldiers' bullying and harassment to get food for their starving children. 

A woman narrated to AI how she was lured with food and raped by a man with Joint Task Force.

"They will give you food but in the night they will come back around 5pm or 6pm and they will tell you to come with them…,"she said. "One [Civilian JTF] man came and brought food to me. The next day he said I should take water from his place [and I went]. He then closed the tent door behind me and raped me. He said I gave you these things, if you want them we have to be husband and wife.”