Escaped Abducted School Girl Narrates Her Ordeal

Another escaped victim, identified as Godiya
Simon, who was among the over 234 school girls
that were abducted from Government Girls
Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, by Boko
Haram members on April 14, yesterday narrated
her ordeal in Sambisa Forest.
* Godiya Simon
Speaking to journalist in Maiduguri, on how she
escaped from the dreaded sambisa forest, she
explained that after their kidnapping, they were
made to walk through the forest where they were
later kept in an open place inside the forest.
"The place we were kept was not just right and I
felt that these people might kill us. We heard
many bad things about them. I then began to
plan how to escape. I told them that I wanted to
urinate which they said no to, but after I kept
repeating it, they allowed me to go along with
three others. That was the time we escaped from
the camp" she said.
The escapee, who said she couldn't trace her
way back to the forest acknowledged that they
were held in the forest, as they could hear the
sect members talking.
"No, I do not think I will know, you know we
travelled at night. When we went to urinate, we
started running. We were too scared, we just kept
running, believing that with God on our side, we
would get help" she said.
Simon said after they had ran very far from the
forest, they fortunately came across a Fulani
herdsman, who helped them out of the bush to
the express-road where they boarded a vehicle
back to Chibok.
She disclosed that she was in Maiduguri because
they were asked to come and watch a video that
was recently released by the Boko Haram, leader
Abubakar Shakau, in order for them to ascertain if
the other girls who are still in captivity are all
from GGSS.
Simon, who confirmed that there were many of
her schoolmates in the video, added that she felt
a little bit relieved seeing that they are still alive,
and expressed optimism that they will come back
like she did.
The elated escapee asserted that she felt bad
when she saw some her schoolmates that are
Christians reciting the Holy Koran.
"It makes me feel sad knowing that they must
have been forced to recite the Koran. I know four
of the girls to be good Christians that will never
accept to change their faith. It is sad that they
have been forced to become Muslims" Simon
said.