Mr Luka Tumba Kwatri has the chance to live for many years after what he described to be hell fire in the camp and cricks belonging to the members of Boko Haram, Luka was taken away from Book Haram at the time that Mubi and Michika was over ran by the insurgents and turned the areas to be the city and seats of the Islamic caliphate.
Hear his story;
“I regretted the day I told myself to go to Mubi in order to buy goods for my provision shop in Michika, on that fateful day I remember I asked my wife what should I buy for her and she reply I should buy anything eatable, on reaching to Maraban Mubi I noticed all the roads are heavily blocked and thought within me this must be Nigerian army because all the people there were wearing khaki but unknown to me, these are Boko Haram people! They have already leveled down the whole of Maraban Mubi, and nowhere to run to as the roads were heavily blocked with heavy armory and somebody shouted down on me. Immediately it occurred to me my life is in danger.
Things looked as if I was in a trance because of fear of death when somebody asked me what do I do for a living and I lied saying I am a mechanic and shouted Allahu Akbar. One of them said they should not kill me because of my skills as a mechanic. The men bundled in a Hilux pickup van to the hinter land of Sambisa forest where I saw thousands of people from all work of life doing one thing or the order.
The Boko Haram I am talking about are really prepared for anything seeing how well-organized and structure of leadership they have. It was there that they take me to what they call trainee camp. There I noticed all what they do is to inculcate their beliefs with different orientation of Islamic religion, a total brain washing of strange Islamic beliefs. They forced me to renounced Christianity which I deliberately complied with for fear of that, but my heart is never with them.
What we mostly do at that stage is to maintain the day to day affairs of domestic issues base on what one’s field is. On daily basis we go to a training ground where they equip us with the knowledge on gun handlings forming of IEDs and its operations.
But for me I am always looking for a way on how to escape from the camp”. On that fateful day I saw the miracle of God. The chief instructor was given a different assignment and they brought somebody they called Alhaji Mohammed and he asked me my name, and fortunately we are name sake my former name is no longer what I am answering; I answer Mohammed as my new name. Our chief and new instructor became fund of me. God gave me favor in his sight. One day he asked me whether I want to see my family in Michika I said yes.
The following day Oga Mohammed send me on errand to go and get him one of abducted women in the next camp which is close to Michika Mountains, a walk of about fifty kilometers and I told myself if I can trek thus far what will make me not to escape. I told myself if I die, I die and if I live, I live. I trekked as fast as I could and before I know it busted in Michika where I still realised that the land is under the siege by Boko Haram.
I looked for where to hide for the next day. While it’s still dawn, I sneaked away through a route to Hong and from Hong to Yola IDP camp where I met so many of my town people in a pitiful situation. As I am talking to you, I can’t find my wife and children.
I am now a repented member of Boko Haram, believe me I have never killed or follow them for any operations because they said I am an amateur that I did not finish my training and I cannot follow them for that reason. I thank God that I escaped and I pray for all of those in the camp to be free.”
There are many stories like that of Mr Luka Tumba on how Boko Haram forcefully recruited Youths into the affairs of the dreaded group and negatively brainwash them to their command. At the end some of them do highly regret joining the group.
By Tom Garba, Yola
