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Escape from Boko Haram: 'I kept stepping on dead bodies'
Kano - Yanaye Grema hid for three days between a
wall and his neighbours' house, as Boko Haram
fighters ransacked his hometown of Baga on the
shore of Lake Chad.
The 38-year-old fisherman already knew the attack
was serious: he joined civilian vigilantes to defend
the town but their simple weapons were no match
for the Islamists' superior firepower.
"People fled into the bush while some shut
themselves indoors," he said of last Saturday's
attack.
"The gunmen pursued fleeing residents into the
bush, shooting them dead," he told AFP from
Maiduguri.
But it was only after breaking cover on Tuesday
night that he realised the true scale of the attack,
which it is feared may be one of the worst in the
six-year insurgency.
"For five kilometres, I kept stepping on dead
bodies until I reached Malam Karanti village, which
was also deserted and burnt," he said.
Local officials this week said the attack forced at
least 20 000 people from Baga and other
settlements in and around Lake Chad to flee, many
of them across the border.
Nearly 600 others had been stranded on an island
on the lake without food, water or shelter.
Looting and burning
The attack wasn't the first on Baga. Nearly 200
people were killed in April 2013, when militants
stormed the town and set much of it on fire,
prompting fierce fighting with the Nigerian military.
This time, the Islamists met less resistance and
were able to take over the town and overrun the
headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force,
which is based there.
At least 16 towns and villages in the area were
razed.
Security analysts believe the targets of last
weekend's attack were the civilian vigilantes
helping the military in the counter-insurgency.
Hiding from view between the wall and the house,
behind a roadside stall and the cover of a thick
neem tree, Grema said the rampaging Islamists
unleashed mayhem.
"All I could hear were ceaseless gunshots,
explosions, screams from people and chants of
'Allahu Akbar' (God is greatest) from the Boko
Haram gunmen," he added.
"I remained in my hiding place until Tuesday
evening.
"Every night when it was dark, I would furtively
scale the fence into my house to quickly eat garri
(processed cassava granules) and drink water and
go back to my hideout."
His family was not at home. They were in Kukawa,
40 kilometres away, paying their respects after
Boko Haram killed his wife's cousin about two
months ago.
"Some of the Boko Haram gunmen camped outside
the Baga main market just 700 metres from my
hideout," he explained.
"At night I could see lights from the power
generator they ran. I could also hear their cheering
and laughter.
"Luckily on Monday some of the gunmen withdrew
while others stayed in the town. This reduced their
number, which made it difficult for them to patrol
the whole town. It worked to my advantage.
"On Tuesday they began looting the market and
every home in the town... Around 18:00 (17:00
GMT) they set fire to the market and began burning
homes. I decided it was time I leave before they
turn in my direction.
"Around 19:30 I ventured out of my hiding and
started to walk away from the noise coming from
the gunmen. It was dark, so no-one could see
me."
Nomad herdsman
In the bush, Grema chanced upon an old man at a
nomadic Fulani herdsmen's settlement, who
advised him to move west to avoid running into
the militants.
"His warning frightened me but made me more
determined to get away. I thanked him and moved
on," he said.
"I quickened my pace. I soon caught up with...
four women. One of them was carrying a baby on
her back.
"They told me they were among hundreds of
women that were arrested by Boko Haram and
detained in the home of the district head which
Boko Haram had converted into a women's
detention centre."
Three of the women had been separated from their
children, he added.
Grema said he pushed out on his own, as the
women were "too slow", running and walking
throughout the night, before arriving at Kekeno
village near Monguno, 65km away, the following
morning.
On Thursday, he took a bus from Monguno to
Maiduguri.
"I will never forget this experience and I will
forever be grateful to the old Fulani nomad for his
life-saving advice," he added.
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