A nurse rescued after spending nearly six months in captivity has recounted the harrowing conditions she and other victims endured, revealing that she helped 10 pregnant women deliver their babies without medical gloves.
Amirah Salihu, who was among those abducted during the February 3 attack on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, disclosed this in an interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Salihu, the daughter of the Woro community chief, said the captives were subjected to severe hunger and harsh living conditions, including sleeping in exposed areas around a river despite frequent rainfall.
She said the abductors provided the victims with poorly prepared food, adding that their meals sometimes consisted only of guinea corn, salt and seasoning.
According to her, some pregnant women went into labour while in captivity, forcing her to use her nursing experience to assist them despite the absence of basic medical supplies.
She said, “When they asked if there was a nurse among us, I did not immediately disclose that I was one. But I later helped pregnant women who went into labour.
“I assisted about 10 women to deliver their babies without gloves. I had to use my hands because there was no proper medical equipment.”
Salihu said the abductors later discovered that she was a trained nurse and attempted to keep her with them because of her skills, but she resisted the plan and insisted on returning home.
She also disclosed that two of her brothers were killed during the attack, allegedly because of her father’s resistance to the terrorists’ attempts to gain access to the community.
According to her, her father had previously opposed the group and sought military protection for the community, but the attackers struck after the soldiers had left.
Salihu said the abductors claimed they were acting in accordance with their religious beliefs and rejected Nigeria’s democratic system.
The nurse, however, said she was not sexually assaulted during her captivity, adding that she did not witness any case of rape among the captives.
The victims were among 176 women and children taken hostage during the attack on Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities.
They regained their freedom on Wednesday after spending almost six months in captivity, although the Kwara State Government said 13 children died while 12 others remained behind.
Following their release, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq received the rescued victims in Ilorin and expressed condolences to the families of those who died.
The governor later visited a hospital where 14 victims were receiving treatment, including three women who gave birth while in captivity.