Photo: Man recounts how he escaped death during Boko Haram attack

Balogun Oluwasegun, an Indigene of Ogun state narrates a sad story of how he escaped death during Boko Haram attacks in Borno state and also how his wife and children have been missing since then.

“My name is Balogun Oluwasegun from Ogun state but resides in Borno state Lassa Town, Askira-Uba Local Government Area in Borno state and working with Jimisegs Nigeria Limited. As an artist, we do always get jobs in churches and mosques all around the area. But on February 17, 2015, I was on my way to enter into the church auditorium for two reasons: to deliver a job for them and see my wife and the children because it was on Tuesday and this Tuesday is for women Bible classes and she always go with my kids.
While coming through the back door that led to the church auditorium (as I did not take the main entrance for security reasons), I heard sporadic gunshots. They shot through the window of the church, and many people were killed. Many members who attended the church service were also injured People were shouting and screaming and I never want to see what was happening but because my family was in the church for the women Bible classes.

As I was trying to see a way of seeing what was happening but I could not while trying to see what I can do three guys came out of the auditorium one of them was seriously wounded with gunshot injuries, and while trying to rescue him he fell down and told us that it was one Musa that shot at him. but the other guy got the message in which it was later the guy was telling us about the Musa he was saying but died while trying to tell us this. Because of this development, fear gripped me and with the situation of my leg I can’t run, so I quickly thought of what to do and the best for me was to hide because I can’t run.

To avoid being victim of the insurgence, I quickly ran into church choir’s room and covered myself with clothes and the drums, as I hid myself, I was hearing this gunmen speaking in their language and shouting Allau Akbar about 20 minutes after I did not hear them again and no gun shots. With the hope that they have gone, I came out from my hiding, but to my surprise I saw people that had been slaughtered and killed littering the ground, and despite the fear of being attacked that is in me, I still remained resolute that I must get to my destination because of my family that were in the church.

But while I was trying to take them out of the church, I saw the two other guys who are also devotees of the church also coming out from the hideout but one of them was seriously injured too but managed to narrate to me that the guy that died knows one of the gun men which his name is Musa. While describing the said Musa to me, I realized I know him too, and said Musa was the one that shot him about 15 minutes after people started coming out of the church, to my greatest surprise I did not see my wife and my kids only to be told later by eye witnesses around that the armed men had kidnapped some people, and since then I have not being myself. I have reported the matter to the policemen that came to the scene and they promised to do all things within their power to get them rescued.

The matter was reported at a nearby police station, but to my surprised, since February20, 2015, which is four days after the attack on the church, I learnt that a friend called John was also killed in a hospital by the insurgents. With this report, I was shocked; in fact this is what I can describe as the ‘greatest shock’ of my life. Also, on February 22, 2015, six days the third guy too was killed by this same Boko Haram group, and meanwhile I came to my senses that we are four that left alive that day. Since then I have been receiving strange phone calls threatening my life.