200 girls abducted in Chibok in April 2014 are being held in Gwoza<\/p>\n
town in Borno State, a woman who was recently released by Boko Haram has
\ntold the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).<\/p>\n
She had been held in the same location as the abducted Chibok girls.
\nThe 56-year-old woman, Mbutu Papka, who was kidnapped in July, 2014 and
\nheld by the insurgents for eight months in two locations, said confidently
\nthat the abducted girls were being kept under very tight security in a
\nhouse in Gwoza.<\/p>\n
Papka said nobody is allowed near the fenced building where the abducted
\ngirls are being held under 24-hour security.<\/p>\n
Even the heavily armed guards who keep watch over the girls round the
\nclock, it was learnt, are only allowed to go into the house to deliver
\nfood, water and other supplies to them.<\/p>\n
The woman was seized along with others when Boko Haram attacked Gwoza on
\nJuly 4, 2014 and taken to Mdita, a remote village near the notorious
\nSambisa Forest, bordering Askira Uba, Damboa and Gwoza.<\/p>\n
The abductees, who included many children, according to Papka, were kept
\nin Mdita for five months before being transferred to Gwoza, where they
\nwere held for three months before they were finally released on March 15.<\/p>\n
It was while in Gwoza that she learnt that the Chibok Girls, whose
\nabduction has attracted global attention, were being housed in a compound
\nadjacent to where she and other kidnapped people were kept.<\/p>\n
Asked how she knew the girls were there, Papka said she never saw the
\nChibok girls, but explained that people in the area pointed at the heavily
\nguarded flat and said the girls were inside.<\/p>\n
Because access to the house was restricted, she said, the girls apparently
\ndid their own cooking and chores by themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the camp at Gwoza, there were clear demarcations between where people
\nwere kept. The Chibok girls, other captives and Boko Haram members and
\ntheir family members all had their separate areas secured, though the
\nsecurity in the area where the girls are kept is visibly different and
\nmuch tighter,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Papka explained that the conditions under which the captives in Gwoza were
\nkept were fairly tolerable and far better than the first location, as
\nthere was water supply.<\/p>\n
She said after they were taken to Gwoza, their living conditions improved
\nremarkably because the town has modern facilities, as opposed to the
\nrustic Mdita.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we got to Gwoza, things changed because there were facilities there
\nand the place was 10 times better than Mdita. We had a normal life in
\nGwoza, except the trauma of living in captivity. Whatever we wanted to
\neat, they were provided. They would bring water, firewood, etc., and leave
\nthem outside,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey even provided perfume for anyone who requested for it,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
According to her, at Mdita, she met other abducted people including women
\nand children, among whom were many under the age of seven, all living in
\nterrible conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a room we used to urinate in and because of lack of water, the
\nplace stank and maggots were everywhere. We took our baths once daily, if
\nwe were lucky,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Because of the terrible conditions and absence of health care facilities
\nin the camp, many people fell sick and some died.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a Redeemed Christian Church of God pastor who was killed during
\nthe attack on our village, and his wife was abducted with us. She died at
\nMdita due to the condition of the place and the death of her husband,\u201d she
\ntold our reporter.<\/p>\n
The pastor\u2019s wife, she explained, had diabetes and, before her abduction,
\nhad been on a special diet which could not be provided by the insurgents.
\nPapka said she and the other women were not raped or assaulted, though she
\ncould not speak for the Chibok girls because nobody was allowed to see or
\ninteract with them.<\/p>\n
She also said that the Boko Haram men lived with their wives and children
\nin the Gwoza camp, but kept away from others and cooked their own meals.<\/p>\n
On March 15, 2015, after three months in Gwoza, Papka and 10 other older
\nwomen were taken from the camp, herded into a vehicle and driven to Izge,
\na village, from where she was taken to her own village on a motorcycle
\nbecause the road is bad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was asked to pay N8,000 for the motorcycle ride, which I collected from
\nmy family,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n
It was also learnt that a two-year-old boy was given to Papka when she was
\nreleased. The boy, who is reported to be sick and has rashes on his body,
\nhas since been reunited with his family, which is now seeking financial
\nassistance to take the child to hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was crying uncontrollably, so they (Boko Haram) handed him over to me
\nas were leaving,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Gwoza local government area of Borno State, which is just over 100
\nkilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital, is said to be one of the
\ncouncil areas still wholly in the hands of Boko Haram terrorists.<\/p>\n
Gwoza town was first captured by the insurgents in August last year,
\nfollowing a heavy gun attack by insurgents who hoisted the sect\u2019s flag and
\ndeclared it the headquarters of the group\u2019s Caliphate.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
200 girls abducted in Chibok in April 2014 are being held in Gwoza town in Borno State, a woman who was recently released by Boko Haram has told the International…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n