I was tied to a stake for three days, awaiting execution

How did you escape from Gwoza without being caught, as Boko Haram has taken over the town?I did not come out of Gwoza today; I left the town about eight months ago and relocated to Michika when the insurgents heightened attacks on communities in the area. At Michika, I ran a small business, selling provisions.When […]

How did you escape from Gwoza without being caught, as Boko Haram has taken over the town?
I did not come out of Gwoza today; I left the town about eight months ago and relocated to Michika when the insurgents heightened attacks on communities in the area. At Michika, I ran a small business, selling provisions.
When the insurgents marched on the town, I gathered my wife and four children and escaped to the mountains, together with many other people. On the mountains, my wife and three children separated from us, leaving me with one of my sons.  
While I was searching for them and finding my way to Uba town, the local vigilantes on the mountain arrested me and  accused me of belonging to the same religion as the Boko Haram members who were sacking villages in the area. They said we created the problems for them.
How many of you were arrested?
I was arrested together with my son but when they took me to the palace of the village head, I met other people there. On our way to the village, I discovered corpses of people I knew in Gwoza who have been slaughtered by the vigilantes, after accusing them of being Muslims.
After they took me to the chief’s palace, I was tied to a stake. I watched as other detainees were taken to the bush and slaughtered. All the while, I was left hungry and pleaded with them to release me. I showed them the old blisters on my palm to prove that I was not a terrorist but a hardworking individual, fending for himself and his family. Meanwhile, my son was always given food to eat.
We watched from detention as Boko Haram men attacked a village called Vi and killed many members of the Higi tribe.
How did you regain your freedom?
Luckily for me, when the local chief visited the detention place around 8am today and listened to my pleas and explanations, he ordered for my release and gave me a note to guarantee my safe passage out of the community. After leaving the palace, we walked past bodies of people whose throats were slit by the ethnic militia. Everywhere we were stopped, I showed them the note from the chief and they granted us easy passage.
Have you found the rest of your family?
I have started making inquiries but have not got any clue about their whereabouts yet. I just had my first meal in three days. I have plans to visit the displaced persons camp at Uba and other places to see if they are there.