Sambisan Juggernauts

Episode Two

Scorched Conquest

"They say the first casualty in war is truth. I guess the second are the poor masses then. Our parents. Our wives. Our sisters and daughters. They seem to be the high price the enemy always jump at. To capture . . . to use as shield . . . and most times, to fulfil their carnal desires. Wasn't it enough that the bastards captured the people they wanted? Nah, but they went ahead to also capture their towns and kill more of them. And people dear to me are lost. Hang in there devils, I'm coming to unleash hell on you too now. I'm coming to conquer back the world you took. I'm coming to join the war . . ."

It was dawn, early on Tuesday morning, and birds were already chirping all around in the forest. It had seemed she'd escaped from them successfully, but Dinah eventually came back face to face from those she was escaping from. She stood quivering extremely with fright as her heart was petrified with fear. There they were, right in front of her.

"You want to escape?" One of the two guards asked her instantly.

Dinah was only shaking, literally speechless and going on her knees immediately to beg them. By now the tears were surging profusely from her eyes.

The guard went on to grab her. Furious at her decision to escape, he pushed her and then demanded she began to return back into the forest. Dinah had no choice, with the gun he was pointing behind her and his threat to rape her if she tried escaping again, she had to begin walking back, heading into the forest as he accompanied her. Her perfect plan to escape from the terrorists had failed just like that. She was going to live longer than she expected in the captivity now.

Soon, they got back into the terrorists' camp and Dinah was made to join a group of girls. Most of them were asked to stay under a particular tree there which they called, 'the Tree of Life', and Dinah could see the girls there were all pleading, crying, and praying that a means of rescue would come their way one way or the another. The terrorists were just literally cruel and devilish. It was clear that they hadn't planned to abduct the girls initially. They were only on a mission to steal ammunition equipments from the town. But when they discovered that the school was filled--and with female students--they resorted to an hostage mission--hopeful that Shekau, their leader, would be highly interested in such. The terrorists went ahead to divide the girls to be put into their different camps in Madayi, Dogon, Chuku and Meri villages all in same Borno State.

That morning, news reached the entire world about the kidnapping of the 276 Chibok female students from their school the previous night by Boko Haram. Governmental authorities in the Country including the military high command had tensions rocking in them as grieving parents got to learn about the abduction of their children and demanded action. International bodies got in touch with the Government almost immediately too with concern and showing interests to help search for and rescue the abducted Chibok girls. The Royal Air Force of UK launched an Operation Turus to help find the girls as soon as possible.

In the Nigerian military high command though, the tensions began increasing. How could such large scale offensive have been carried out by Boko Haram with no opposition from the military troops and securities stationed close to that area? Not long afterwards, it was learned that the Army Battalion stationed close to Chibok had received intel a few hours before from neighbouring residents about an impending attack by a large number of Boko Haram troops on Chibok town. But the Battalion couldn't instantly provide reinforcements because troops and resources had been over-extended. A few detachment of soldiers were already stationed at the conventionally peaceful Chibok and so by the time the terrorists arrived, about 100 of them, the dozen or so soldiers at Chibok held them off for up to an hour before being outgunned with no reinforcements arriving for them.