Shocking revelation emerged during the weekend that members of the Islamic violent group, Boko Haram in Magumeri forest, Borno, are beginning to eat themselves after being stranded for days without food or water.
Mallam Momodu Bukar, a suspected member of the outlawed sect told newsmen on Saturday in Maiduguri that he fled the camp at the forest on Thursday when he could no longer cope with the situation.
“I thank God that I escaped because I would have been slaughtered by now to provide meal for my colleagues at the camp,” Bukar said.
According to him, he was captured by a youth vigilante group, popularly known as the civilian JTF at Baga Road motor park, Maiduguri, on Friday.
He said, the extremists had been in the forest since May, when they were dislodged from Marte, Marte Local Government Area, by the Joint Task Force on Operation Restore Order after the declaration of the state of emergency.
“Our group, consisting of about 300 well-armed combatants, headed for Magumeri on the orders of the sect leader, Abubakar Shekau, shortly before the military took over Marte Camp.
“We have been wandering in the forest. We have exhausted our food and water supply, and so, everybody became hungry,” he said.
He said since then, they could not reach their leader, Shekau due to the closure of GSM services by the Defence Headquarters.
He said, “It all started last Monday when three of the combatants in camp died of acute hunger, and it became obvious that all of us will die if action was not taken. The leader of the group, Abu Omar, directed that a non-combatant member be slaughtered to provide meal for the rest.
“The meat provided meal for the combatant for just two days and another person was killed in the same manner on Wednesday. So, it became certain that I might be the next person since I am also a non-combatant member.”
The suspected militant fled the forest after he volunteered to help search for drinking water for the group in a nearby village.
“I left the camp on Thursday evening after agreeing to fetch water from the village. After leaving the camp, I started running until I arrived at Magumeri town, so, I slept in the motor park before boarding a vehicle to Maiduguri with the little money on me.” he said.
An official of the vigilante group, Mallam Ajid Asheik, said the suspect would be handed to the Joint Task Force on Operation Restore Order for investigation.
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