07/09/2019 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Saratu huddled with four other women in the bushes just outside of the village borders. Tension crackled in the air. Their village, the beloved home to generations of Nigerian Christians in northern Adamawa, was gone.
Just days before, a band of Muslim terrorists from Boko Haram attacked, setting fire to everything in sight. Saratu herded her family out of their house, following the nearly invisible paths that led to the surrounding foliage. She could still hear shots ringing out in the distance and blood-curdling screams as they ran.
Like many Christians, Saratu had hoped that Boko Haram would be driven out of Nigeria for good after the government intervened. Unfortunately, the terrorist organization has regrouped and revived its efforts to kill, steal, and convert Nigerian Christians.
Now, Saratu shivered in the damp night air and praised the Lord for sparing their lives. She was determined not to die of hunger.
“I’m going back,” she said, quietly, resolutely, to the group of women. She thought of her five hungry children, still hidden in the bushes. They were safe, for now. The other women nodded. They all had mouths to feed. They shook their heads at the thought of their harvests going to waste after months of sowing, plowing, and tending to the fields. They would have to steal from their own farms.
Their plan began to unravel the moment they crept into the village. With a shout, Muslim men spotted and chased after them. Saratu wasn’t fast enough. A heavy hand gripped her shoulder and she knew it was over. She watched the other women escape. Once captured, she was beaten and interrogated for hours.
Stay tuned for Part 2, coming tomorrow.
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