As Imo residents continue to grapple with the current reality of attacks by herdsmen, especially in the Ngor-Okpala council area of the state, survivors of the attacks have begun to speak out.
In this exclusive chat with C-Advocate, one of the survivors of a recent attack, whom we will choose to identify simply as Chioma, recounts her ordeal.
“ I was on my way from Owerri to Aba. We were in a fully loaded sienna bus, 9 passengers and a driver.
“ Soon after we entered Ngor-Okpala, I heard gunshots, the sounds were sporadic so I covered my ears with my hands while bowing my head to the ground to avoid the risk of coming in contact with a stray bullet. The bullets appeared to target tyres of moving vehicles so our driver stopped.
“ About 20 herdsmen surrounded us, fully armed. I noticed their form and instruments ; they were herdsmen. They forced us to alight and ordered us to lie face down and we did. It was about 6.00pm. They then collected our phones. After some time, they directed us to the bush and instructed us to line up as we entered the thick bush, while they lashed us with canes. They threatened that any of us who uttered a word would be killed. One of them said that we should either give them money or be killed, but another one said that they wouldn’t be needing our money.
“ They collected our phones. By this time, it was getting dark and we could barely see each other’s faces in that thick bush. One of them approached me and asked me where our bus was headed and I told him we were going to Aba from Owerri. He also inquired about my marital status and occupation and I told him I was a single student. He asked if I was sure and I answered ‘Yes’. He simply muttered an ‘okay’.
“ I could hear them taking phone calls in a strange language. When darkness had completely enveloped the sky, they asked us to stand up and march forward , while forming a single line. They persistently flogged those at the back so everyone jostled for the front of the line. I managed to find myself toward the front before I heard the sound of a passing vehicle, although faint. At that point, I knew we were close to a motorable road.
“ Soon, they diverted us into another bush just across the road. I was scared to my teeth in that darkness.
“ As we entered the second bush, they divided us into two groups and asked us to kneel down. One group stayed back in the bush while the other knelt on the lonesome road. It was getting late as a lot of time had already passed.
“ I was part of the group on the road. They told my group that those in the bush would be made to bear the sufferings of us all while we, who were on the road, would be released. I do not know why they so decided.
“ They returned our phones and warned us not to speak about what had happened. They asked us to find our way out of the area and never look back.
“ Meanwhile, the other group of passengers stayed back in the bush, their fate hanging in the balance. They already seized my bracelets, necklace and some cash but it was the least of my worries as I scampered for dear life. I ran until I hit the major Aba-Owerri road. Only five of us were released, out of 10 ( nine passengers and a driver).
“ I couldn’t see any vehicles on the road as I already sensed that it was late in the night. Only heavy duty trailers passed , between long intervals. A trailer driver parked and asked what we were doing on the road at such time of the night. We narrated our ordeal. He asked if we still had any money on us and we told him we were also robbed.
“ A voice later came from behind – it was our driver’s and he said that he had just been released by the abductors. The driver had a would on one leg. He led us to the point where our vehicle was parked.
“ We got aboard the vehicle and continued the journey but our luggage, left in the car, were nowhere to be found.
“ We however continued until we got to the Imo river before proceeding to Umuikaa, then to Osisioma, Aba. The driver said that he was writhing in pain and would not be able to continue the journey beyond the Okpulor-Umuobo junction, Aba-Owerri road, Aba.
“ When we got there, it was already 12.00 midnight. I had contacted my sister in Aba to come pick me up from that junction and she was right on time.
“ She helped me as we trekked to the house. I thank God for the miracle of my survival “, she said.
While C-Advocate commends security agencies for stepping up when it mattered, we recommend preventive rather than just curative measures.
With spates of insecurity going on in the country’s middle belt and other areas, all hands must be on deck to bring these troubles to a barest minimum and possibly flush out the criminals in our society.