I only hear and read about Boko Haram insurgents kidnapping and the incessant bombings of various public places. I had never been close to the victims or their families to get a first hand report until Ejike was kidnapped.
On 6th November 2014, Ejike, a grocery trader in Takada, Bauchi town in Bauchi state, North East Nigeria was kidnapped by people who claim to be part of the Boko Haram insurgents. The reason for his kidnapping is unknown however the effect of his abduction has been disastrous.
Ejike’s abductors used his phone to contact his elder brother who happens to be the father of my friend. My friends father alias Baba Jude in his naivety revealed the location of his house until it dawned on him that the voice wasn’t his brother’s and the Hausa spoken by the speaker was deeper that his brother’s. He tried to confirm the identity of the person at the other end of the phone, he was told that he had just spoken to a member of the catastrophic group, Boko Haram. Hell was let loose.
For clarity sake, this is not an attempt at fiction. The events are exactly as narrated by Jude, Baba Jude’s son.
Baba Jude, utterly confused hurried down to church for prayers and instructed his wife to pack a few of their belongings and move to Jos in nearby Plateau state. Two of his children, Jude and Celestina were staying within the church premises because of its proximity to their school. They are both 15 years old and are in JSS 3.
He got counseled in church and the following morning, he took the maiden bus out of Bauchi to join his wife in Jos. They consequently set out for their 15 hours voyage to Nnsuka in Enugu state, their home state, bidding their house, belongings, business, and their 30 years of inhabiting Bauchi goodbye in a two day drama.
There are huge numbers of Southerners who have spent the larger parts of their lives in Northern Nigeria emigrating to Southern Nigeria on a daily basis. From my research, I’ll peg this number at 5 families per week. Each family has at least 5 members.
Emigration is not my choice concern here, however, the sad thing is that the abductors of Ejike have not made any demands of whatever kind. His phone has been unreachable since 29th November, 2014. He is now feared dead or initiated into the Boko Haram sect. Grapevine has it that initiation into the sect is more of a spiritual activity that a conscious decision.
Should Ejike be killed, he sadly joins the huge statistics of victims of the deadly sect’s activities. Should he otherwise be initiated into the sect, he becomes a threat to our nation. This is because in possibly 3 months, Ejike will be ejected to his part of the country (the largely peaceful and unconcerned Southern Nigeria) to recruit and extend the activities of the deadly sect in that part of the country.
If Ejike is not found as fast as possible (dead or alive) or at least his location known. He may be part of a larger grand plan of the deadly Boko Haram insurgents to extend their activities to every part of Nigeria.
Jude and Celestina are already out of school in Nnsuka. Baba Jude is currently out of business and relies wholly on his savings which is swiftly draining.
Jude has his psychology already distorted and may have developed a deeply seated hatred for anyone from Northern Nigeria. The kind of hatred that is enough to support or start a war, or a long term desire for vengeance.
“One day the rivers will overflow,
And there’ll be nowhere for us to go,
And we will run, run,
Wishing you had put out the fire,
For there it’s fire on the mountain”
——– Bukola Elemide (Asa), Fire on the Mountain, 2007.
I therefore appeal to government, security agencies, civil society, eminent personalities, media practitioners and international media organizations for support to #HelpSaveEjike
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