They are youngsters from different parts of the country. They became orphans through no fault of theirs. Their parents were killed either by Boko Haram insurgents or in ethno-religious strifes. Today, these orphans have found succour at the Stephen Children’s Home in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. They share their stories of pains, persecution and survival with Adeola Ogunlade.
IT was time, again, for sober reflection when the World Humanitarian Day was celebrated last week. Nigeria joined in the celebrations. The country has had its own share of strifes since the turn of the century. It went through a civil war (1967-70) and has experience ethno-religious crises. It is presently battling with Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast. Millions of people were displaced in these crises. The United Nations General Assembly fixed August 19 as a day to recognise those who face danger and adversity in their quest to help others and celebrate the spirit that inspires it. The day also coincides with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003.
In Nigeria, the three tiers of government have established Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the affected regions of the country to help victims. Some private organisations are also playing a similar role. Stephen Children’s Home, founded by Rev Isaac Newton-Wusu is one of these private non-governmental organisations. So far, the Abeokuta, Ogun State-based organisation has adopted over 400 children survivors of some violent outbreaks. It is taking care of their feeding, clothing, shelter and education right up to university level.
The Nation visited the centre in Abeokuta on the occasion of the World Humanitarian Day last week and interacted with some of the children. Some of them have grown and are in universities across the country. They shared their stories of persecution, survival, rescue, care and appreciation with The Nation on Sunday.
At 15, I am yet to meet my dad – Mary Bitrus,
Mary Bitrus was born in a Kaduna camp for displaced persons on a day another infant named Mary was also born. She survived, while the other Mary couldn’t withstand the camp’s harsh condition. Bitrus’ parents were displaced in 2001 after a three-month Kaduna riot left about 5000 people dead and several houses torched. A religious riot had broken out in 2000 between Christians and Muslims over the introduction of the Muslim Sharia law in the state, leading to widespread casualty.
Recounting her life story, Mary said in a rather sober voice, “I am a child born in the refugee camp where my mum took refuge after the crises. We later moved to town after the riot but according to my mother, life was never the same again. The direct impact on me was even worse as my mother lost contact with my father, and for 15 years, I did not know who my father was. We didn’t even know he was alive. I only spoke to him for the first time last year; and it was on phone. Even as I speak with you, I have not set eyes on him. So in a way, it’s as if I do not have a father.”
Later, her mother left the camp and tried to make a life for them, but things were extremely difficult as help was not coming and her poor mother could only do the best she could, which was not enough, until help came in the form of Stephen Children Home, a non-governmental Christian organisation, which adopted her and brought her down to its home in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Almost a decade after and still under the care of the home, Mary said she is always moved to tears every time she remembers the incident that led to her family’s displacement the second time.
“I left home since I was seven when a delegate from the Stephen Children Home came to meet my mum after they got wind of the challenges we had faced both in the camp and after. They brought me here and since then, I have enjoyed free education, shelter and the love I could not get back home.”
Surprisingly, Bitrus, who today nurses an ambition to be a writer, said she could not speak English on arrival at the home. She therefore faced lots of challenges relating and communicating with the officials in the home, her teachers and her peers. But she says her teachers understood her situation, were patient, and with time, she improved.
Speaking on her writing ambition, she said “I have made up my mind to be a writer. I want to tell the stories which are too numerous to tell about the horror and anguish children who are victims of war face. I have written two fiction books. One of them is titled ‘Yatum under captivity’. The book centres on a girl who was persecuted over her faith but refuses to succumb to pressure. Although she was tortured, she managed to escape and reported her plight to the police, who moved in, arrested the perpetrators and peace returned to the community.”
Linking the story of the book to the present situation in the country, Mary said she believes “a day is coming when the good news will be that Boko Haram has been defeated.”
We were left for dead -Nankpak Kunzwam
If Mary’s story was sober, 22 year-old male, Nankpak Kunzwam’s story is gory, heart-wrenching and evokes anger. Kunzwam, who hails from Iwase Local Government in Plateau State told the story of how Islamic militants one evening in 2005, killed over a thousand people during a religious violence in his community. He said Christians were killed for refusing to convert to Islam, in a manner that even his 12-year old mind perceived as mind-boggling.
Now a student of Landmark University, Kwara State, Kunzwam recalls the incident: “We were at home that evening and suddenly saw people setting fire on the house of one of our neighbours. Quickly, we took to our heels – me, my mum and my two siblings. As we ran, we met some other people, including women and children, also running for dear lives. We all headed for the bush, where we hid until morning.
Later in the morning, we learnt that the Fulani herdsmen had been told to lay siege to the bush, hoping to catch us, but luckily, we had left that part, as it was raining heavily. We were however captured by another group of Muslims, who were armed with local guns and machetes. We also noticed that some women were already in their custody; so we were ordered to line up behind them and marched back into the bush.”
Kunzwam, who is a member of the Deeper Life Bible Church, said “There were over 10 of us in the bush; a few women and children. Our captors were communicating in Hausa language and deliberating on what to do with us, until they all seemed to agree to kill us. A few minutes later, there was a gun-shot and we all instinctively scattered in different directions. I ran along with my mum and my siblings; but my mum was hit by a bullet in the chest, which slowed her a bit, but she kept running, knowing that halting or really slowing down for any reason was dangerous.
“I was also hit by a bullet on the back, but didn’t stop until we got deep into the bush. We stayed in the bush for almost a week and there was nothing to fix our injuries; no water and no food. After days of thirst and starvation, we eventually found water.
“One night, some of the escapees decided to leave the bush because they thought it was not safe to continue staying there. My mother was also approached, but she had lost too much blood and had become too weak to move. So, we stayed back that night and the next morning, I found my way out of the bush to a nearby house to see if they could accommodate us. They however rejected us. They said they were protecting themselves and therefore could not take the risk of keeping us.
“Back in the bush, I saw a man armed with a pistol and machete, aiming his gun at my mum. The man, whom I knew as Galadima said he was there to kill us, but because my mum was already exhausted with no hope of escaping alive, she told us to lie down for him to kill us. Surprisingly, the savage targeted my mum first. He used his machete on the four of us. He struck my siblings about two times and when he thought that we had all died, he left. But miraculously, I woke up with blood all over me. Not surprisingly, my mother did not survive this last attack. But my elder brother survived. I later learnt that it was this same man who had ordered the killing of my father, when the crisis first broke out.”
“Thereafter, I pulled myself together and went back to the house where we were initially rejected. I thought that with my injury they would accept me, but they still chased me out. I had no choice but to go back into the bush and hide under a tree. In the middle of the night, I heard noise of people packing their belongings to relocate because of the siege on the town. I decided to follow them from behind, hoping to locate my way back home. When I got to a place where I could recongise my house, I went home, but everything was gone. I later decided to take refuge with my uncle. “
Kunzwam lamented that life was never the same thereafter, as he had to grapple with his education and eventually dropped out due to lack of financial support.
“I really missed my parents they were Christians, who loved us and wanted the best for us. While in my uncle’s house, I got lucky again and went back to school. But I had to repeat a class because of the long months I had spent out of school. Two years after that, fortune smiled on me once more, as Stephen Children Home got wind of my situation and came over to take me to Abeokuta here, where I’ve been enjoying full scholarship. I also enjoy free decent feeding, clothing and shelter.”
Even though Kunzwam was a brilliant student and passed his school certificate examination very well, he noted that getting admission into a higher institution was a big challenge. He however got lucky again, when delegates of the David Oyedepo Foundation visited the centre, heard his story and decided to help him through school. They offered him a scholarship to Landmark University, where he currently studies for a degree in Microbiology.
“I am so happy and I now understand what love really means. I have also promised myself that when I grow up, I will replicate the same gesture to hapless children in need of love and care for a normal life.
Dad was killed like a ram – Davou Thoma
Although Plateau State was for a long time reputed as home of peace and tourism both in northern Nigeria and Nigeria as a whole, recent sectarian and religiously-motivated violence have turned the state into a theatre of war. Davou Thoma, who was born in Jos, capital of the state also told The Nation his story of persecution, horror and near death.
“We had good time living together before we began to see each other as enemies,” Thoma began.
“In September 2001, about 5, 000 people died because of a religious violence that erupted in the state. It lasted ten days, but by the time it subsided, a large chunk of the city lay in ruin, having literally gone up in flames.”
Thoma said “My father was a farmer and a building contractor. The day the incident broke out; he woke up very early and went out for the day’s work. But, he never came back. Somebody said he was killed like a ram, in the violence that erupted.
“After he had gone out that morning, I was in my friend’s house watching TV, when somebody hurriedly came in to tell us to leave and run for our lives. We immediately dispersed and ran to a mountain top, where we used to hide whenever there was a crisis. When the crises subsided, we heard people crying, and it was then that somebody said my father had been killed. Father was the first person to be so killed in our community.
“Dad was a lovable man, very caring and awake to his responsibilities. He also told us tales and made the home lively and sweet; but alas, he was taken out in a needless murder by some mindless people, who were eager for war.”
Thoma continued: “After that unfortunate incident, different thoughts ran through my mind, one of which was to repay them in their own coin. But life is not like that, and as time went by, I decided to just forgive and move on. Harbouring the bitterness of the wrong done one is harming oneself because one would not be able to think and chart the way forward in life.
The morning after
“I was attending Roman Catholic Mission School, when I lost my father, but my brother and mates brought me books and tried to keep me on. Things had become really terrible; mum passed out when she heard the news and never really recovered. So all the responsibilities fell on my brother, but things were not going well with him too. It was in the course of this that he hinted my mother of a school that he wanted me to attend. Things moved very fast and I was asked to come to Stephen Children Home. So here I am. I have found love, hope and a future. We were the first set of children picked from Jos in 2004. There have been challenges as well, but I can tell you that God has been faithful.”
Father was killed for being brave – Hadizah Jacob
15-year old Hadizah from Pokisto in Maiduguri also shared her story of pain and anguish. She recalls Boko haram’s onslaught on her house one faithful day in 2009 and said the day remains an unforgettable one for her, as she still remembers how her father was brutally murdered. Jacob said she was a very outgoing girl, and that though a Christian, her best friends were Muslims, with whom she sometimes went to the mosque and even sang Islamic songs. It was in the course of her close relations with them that she first learnt one Sunday evening that Christians in the community were going to be killed. But when she told her parents, who had always objected to her closeness with the Muslims, she only got a backlash from her father, who scolded her for always coming home with bad news.
That night, she said she could not sleep, as she was afraid and had headache. At a point, she told her mother she wanted to go out and ease herself, which her mum objected to, but eventually conceded. “I went with a touch light, as I still sensed danger and strained my ears for the slightest sound. Not long after, I heard a bomb blast and immediately, someone came running and shouting that everyone should escape as some people had started killing in the community close by. Immediately, my whole family woke up to the reality of the siege. We all left the house in search of a safe place
.My father told us to scatter ourselves because he believed that is the best strategy in times of war, but my mother refused, insisting that she will run to a safe place with her children. Before we knew what was happening, Daddy started running, and we all followed suit, but soon scattered. Along the way, we found other people running and joined them, until we got to a safe place.”
Jacob said many of them took refuge in the COCIN church, while some hid in the bush. They were there for a week and half without food or water until normalcy returned and they all started coming out of hiding. That was when they discovered that their father was missing. “In the course of the search, one of my sisters said she saw our father’s corpse on the way. We were told that he was hiding on a tree, when he saw the sect trying to kill a young boy, so he jump down to his defence, and was killed in the process.
‘We know our assailants’
Jacob recalled that members of the sect were well-known. “They lived with us as brothers and sisters. Their leaders wore red head-ties, while the low-ranking members wore blue head-ties. I know Mohammed Yusuf, their leader, who was killed by the police. He was not a bad man. He was a Nigerienne, who came to live in Maduguri and had two children in school. One of them was in the university. The group was formerly called DaruIslam. Yusuf moved freely around and never intimidated anyone, until the war started. He even confessed to us that he never instructed his members to kill innocent people or even Christians at that. They however hated government and believed all government officials should be killed.
“However, when the police killed Yusuf, the sect members went wild; vowing not to leave Maiduguri until they have avenged his death. Since then, Boko Haram became a platform for killing Christians. Jacob also said people started getting missing at an alarming rate.”
Jacob also recalled another occasion before the death of her father, when she and her friend were practically abducted by a young woman, whom they eventually found out was a wife to one of the Boko Haram members. “We knew her as a young woman in the community, so we didn’t initially suspect anything, when she lured us into her house, a bit far away from our community. The house was nice and she gave us food and made us comfortable. We however became suspicious, when she would not let us go out and kept telling us to wait for her husband. Before we knew it, days turned into weeks we were there for two weeks. We later discovered that her plan was to lead us into child marriage, as she soon started telling us to join Islam and get married, and that we neither needed any more education nor Christianity.
“However, after the two weeks, we took a decision to hit her on the head, which we did and ran out before she could get up. We ran through the bush all through the night until we located our home. Of course our parents had been looking for us and were worried stiff, so they were just glad to have us back.”
Because of her numerous experiences of turbulence, Jacob initially took a decision to be a soldier, when she grows up, so she could fight and deal with these terrible people that have done her so much evil, but she shelved that idea after series of counselling on forgiveness. Now she wants to be a pilot. She has learnt to forgive, even when it hurts.
Like her contemporaries above, life became really hard and almost unbearable for her, when her father died, until Stephen Children Home came to her rescue in 2010, when they came in search of children of the martyrs.
‘People thought we were into child trafficking’
Speaking with The Nation, the executive director, Stephen Children Centre, Rev Isaac Newton-Wusu, explained that the centre took roots sometime in 2000, while he was distributing relief materials donated by Voice of the Martyr, an international organisation, with which he served for more than 30 years.
At the refugee camp, he came across two women, who gave birth to two girls and named them both Mary.
He said “The circumstances leading to the babies’ birth were touching. By the time I went back to search for the two Marys, I discovered that one had died with the mother. The other Mary survived and I brought her with me to Abeokuta. The Stephen Centre was not actually founded as a school. It so happened that the harassment under the Late General Sani Abacha regime became so unbearable in Lagos, that my brother suggested that I moved to his apartment in Abeokuta. Even then, we spent little time there and eventually moved to Ghana, since the situation in Nigeria was not conducive for our activities.”
Following the death of Abacha and MKO Abiola, Newton-Wusu said he opened a computer school and Christian library, which eventually metamorphosed into the Stephen Centre. “I first brought eight children from Kaduna and called them Kaduna Special Children. Without funding and support, we increased the number to 14, then to 40 and later 50. We later brought children from Kano, Bauchi, Jos, Maiduguri, and from the Boko Haram uprising. Now there are 400 of such children here. We call them the family of Martyrs.
“All of them lost one or both parents in the religious uprisings in Northern Nigeria. When we brought them in those days, we could not communicate because I could not speak Hausa very well and none of the children could speak English. So, we used signs to communicate.
“By the end of July 2011, we had 44 of them who had graduated from the college here. Twenty of them are in the university as we speak, studying courses ranging from law to Engineering, Medicine and the humanities. We just bought an uncompleted building in Ijebu-Igbo to house our children at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, and they have all been solely sponsored by us, because we don’t have any external help.”
Rev. Newton-Wusu said the journey has been exciting and a mixed grill of ups and downs. But the most important thing, he said, is that the home is focused on its goal. “At Stephen Centre, we are dedicated like the biblical Stephen, who was persecuted, and our trademark is for the church because we are children of the persecuted.”
He revealed that getting approval from the Ministry of Education was a big challenge, and singled out Mrs. Sore and Rev. Sofuluwe, whom he said supported the dream and ensured that Stephen Centre was approved. He is also glad that the children within the community supported and welcomed the children, when the home opened. He recalled that their immediate community was initially apprehensive, thinking the children would be violent because they were products of crises. But with time, they have seen that the children are calm and uphold godly virtues, and have therefore opened their arms to them.
He revealed that the centre has 60 quality teachers, whose salaries are paid regularly and who are totally committed to the organisation and its goal. He also expressed gratitude to parents, children and teachers, whom he said “are working hard on the project.”
He said everything about the centre has been miraculous and beyond just a mere dream. “Feeding, housing and providing vocational and formal education to 400 children is never a child’s play. The churches have been helpful as well. The children were recently invited by Pastor Wale Adefarasin, the Senior Pastor of Guiding Light, who welcomed them and gave them the opportunity to share their stories with the congregation, who thereafter supported them with several thousands of naira.”
On how he has been able to fund the organisation, especially since he said support has been scarce, Nelson said: “I worked for a Christian mission, the Voice of Christian martyr for more than 30 years, and incidentally, that organisation has given us the most support. At first however, I thought I could feed eight children conveniently, but when the number increased to 20 and 50, it became difficult for me. I also do a lot of publishing, so I sold my books to feed the children. To worsen it all, neighbours could not understand what I was doing. They thought we were into child trafficking, but thank God that some of the children are reading Law and other great courses today. We are doing our best to rescue these children and their families, so that when I die, I will be happy that I have done my part towards saving lives.”
He admonished churches that see orphans as beggars, saying the God of the widow is also the God of the orphans. Today his organisation is the only mission recognised in most parts of northern Nigeria. They have also created a laboratory, where they fabricate artificial limbs for Christians whose legs were broken or damaged during bomb blasts.
He contends that religious crisis pervades the world and that Nigeria unfortunately is one of the major trouble spots. He also debunks the claim that boko haram is political rather than religious, wondering how come more Christians have been targeted. Quoting Edmund Burke, Newton-Wusu said evil triumph when good people sit down and do nothing. He therefore called for a remedy to the issue of early marriage and the almajiris (street urchins), whom he says often ends up as tools in the hands of politicians and over-zealous religion mongers.
He also condemned the widespread belief in the north that any city without beggars on the streets cannot be blessed, insisting that “Until you take these almajiris off the streets, we cannot know peace in the North.”
