After bomb wipes out family… Maiduguri teen searches for grandparents

Halima Ibrahim’s woes are as straightforward as they are touching: Her parents and siblings all died sometime in July 2011, after a bomb exploded in Maiduguri. The teenager miraculously survived, but was left with no family. Searching for her parents’ relatives took her many places before finally arriving Kaduna, where she’s wondering if luck would […]

Halima Ibrahim’s woes are as straightforward as they are touching: Her parents and siblings all died sometime in July 2011, after a bomb exploded in Maiduguri. The teenager miraculously survived, but was left with no family. Searching for her parents’ relatives took her many places before finally arriving Kaduna, where she’s wondering if luck would be on her side as she tries to locate her grandparents. She took the decision of coming to Kaduna because all efforts to trace any other relations were futile and she knows that her grandparents are in that city as she’s once visited with her parents when she was about six. “My parents,” Halima began, “Once brought me to Kaduna about ten years ago. We visited my maternal grandfather here in Kaduna in one of the Government Reservation Areas (GRAs). I don’t know which one, though.”

Halima, 16, said her father (Mallam Ibrahim), mother (Malama Amina), brother and sister (A’isha, 10, and Muhammad, 8) lost their lives when a bomb exploded at their Bulunkutu home in Maiduguri metropolis. “It was sometimes in July 2011 before Ramadan when my parents, aunt, brother and sister were killed,” Halima said. “I survived the incident because I was then attending a friend’s wedding. It was on my way that our neighbours told me. They didn’t allow me to see our house and they consoled me, saying that I should be strong and accept what Allah has destined. I became nervous because I didn’t know what they meant and it never occurred to me that I would lose my entire family.”

Halima cannot recall what actually transpired after the neighbours broke the tragic news. “I fell down and lost consciousness. I remained with the neighbours, specifically mother’s friend A’isha for some time before violence in the area escalated and we all had to flee the area. We left Maiduguri for Kano with some women who also lost their husbands, not knowing where we were going but just to move out of the virtual war zone,” Halima said.

In Kano, Halima was lucky to meet a woman-philanthropist. “She treated me like her daughter. After about two months with her, believing that I had a new home, the woman told me that they were relocating to Bauchi with her husband. She asked me to follow her to Bauchi but I said I would go to Adamawa because I know that my father has a brother there. After a long debate, the woman finally obliged. What is compounding my problem is that my aunt, who was also living here in Kaduna, also lost her life in the bomb blast that killed my parents. She was in Maiduguri to visit my mother who was sick then.”

So Halima headed to Adamawa, where her father once told her he had a brother simply called Malam Abdullahi. “I was accommodated in a place called Uba, where the District Head hosted me after hearing my predicament. After the search for my uncle, it emerged that he had relocated to another state which nobody knows.”

Halima told Weekly Trust that both her parents are from Kaduna. She tearfully continued: “This was why I told the District Head in Adamawa that I wanted to come to Kaduna. They pleaded that I should stay with them but I insisted on coming to Kaduna. Therefore, the people in the area contributed about N2,800 for my transportation. When I arrived Kaduna without an exact place to go, I was luckily linked with the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI). I believe that Allah is with me and He would help me to see my grandparents. I feel that I am alone and life is very difficult. God forbids, even if I couldn’t see my grandparents, I would continue to live here in Kaduna because this is where my roots are. But I have a feeling that I will see my grandparents.”

According to Halima, her father Malam Ibrahim was a trader who sold electronic wares and had friends in Maiduguri, like Malam Ilu and Malam Aliyu and he is about 45 years old. She said her grandfather’s name is Malam Idi and maternal grandfather is Isiyaku and they are all Hausa. She also explained that her aunt, who died with her family, is called Zainab Isiyaku.

At the moment, Halima lives in the house of Sarkin Tudun Unguwan Shanu, Kaduna, Alhaji Aliyu Gumi. The JNI took her to Alhaji Gumi’s house who is now shouldering all her responsibilities. Both the JNI and the Sarkin Tudun Unguwan Shanu are now looking for Halima’s grandparents. The Secretary-General of the JNI, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, called out to the public that anyone with reliable information should contact the JNI secretariat in Kaduna.

Alhaji Gumi told Weekly Trust that Halima’s condition is sad. “I’m keeping her in my house and she interacts freely with my children. She will remain here while we look for her family. From the information she gave, we are hopeful that we would get her grandparents. What we need now is prayers for Allah to help us locate the grandparents. If that doesn’t happen, the JNI would direct me further. But I can father this girl till the end of my life.”

While the search for the whereabouts of Halima’s grandparents continues, the 16-year-old has continued to ignore marriage proposals presented to her in Kano and Adamawa. “Locating my grandparents, my family, is my priority right now,” she said.