A widow from Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State, has recounted the harrowing moment bandits killed her husband and daughter in her arms during a brutal raid on her community.
Speaking to conflict journalist Masara Kim Usman, she described how the attackers had cordoned off the village, moving from house to house, shooting indiscriminately and preventing residents from reaching medical care. The community clinic had been set ablaze, leaving victims with no means of urgent treatment.
She said she had been at the market when the attackers struck. “Even that day, the terrorists had blocked the road and were shooting sporadically. In the vehicle I was inside, I could not raise my head as I feared the bullets could hit me,” she recalled.
By the time she returned home, the attackers had surrounded the village. “There was nothing we could do. My husband and daughter were killed in cold blood. My daughter was shot in my presence, and her blood was all over me. But I thank God that I am alive today,” she said, breaking into tears.
The widow described the chaos and destruction caused by the assailants. “They broke into our house and shot my husband and daughter. They did not say a word; they just shot them. There was no way we could take them to the hospital because they had taken over the community and burned down the clinic,” she said.
She urged other survivors to find solace in faith despite the tragedy. “What still surprises me till today is that we saw a ‘black day,’ but God, who is the only one that can calm us down, has been able to comfort us. I thank God that I’m alive today and implore orphans and widows to take solace in Him,” she added.
The incident highlights the ongoing security crisis in Plateau State, where attacks by armed groups continue to claim lives and destroy communities, leaving survivors traumatized and vulnerable.
