The brave women fighting Boko Haram in Nigeria
Boko Haram killed the two most important people in Komi Kaje’s life within two days.
In November 2015, Komi Akaji, her 46-year-old brother, was shot dead by Boko Haram fighters.
“There were seven students killed. When I got there, I saw he was shot twice in the head,” Kaje said.
The days of mourning followed according to tradition. Kaje was broken but Peter Adam, her 35-year-old boyfriend, provided some relief. On a Saturday afternoon, Adam observed mourning rites with Kaje’s family and shared lunch with her.
But Boko Haram attacked again, turning a visit of solace into sorrow.
“They shot him in his chest and head and he fell inside a ditch. The bullet touched his brain,” said Kaje, her eyes in tears.
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Kaje has tried hard to forget the killings but military sirens, the sound of gunfire, and constant exposure to the areas where her loved ones were shot dead were enough to provoke new trauma.
If she moved to a new city, her parents thought, it might help her heal. Kaje relocated to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to spend some recovery time.
But Kaje realised the solution wasn’t to run, “because Boko Haram was everywhere”.
Maybe, Kaje thought, if she could play a role in defeating the fighters some healing would come. At the time, the armed group held many towns and villages captive as part of a so-called “Islamic caliphate”.
Boko Haram since 2009 has killed more than 27,000 people and forced another two million out of their homes.
Source: Al Jazeera
