Speaking to journalist in Maiduguri, on how she escaped from the dreaded sambisa forest, she explained that after their kidnapping, they were made to walk through the forest where they were later kept in an open place inside the forest.
“The place we were kept was not just
right and I felt that these people might kill us. We heard many bad
things about them. I then began to plan how to escape. I told them that I
wanted to urinate which they said no to, but after I kept repeating it,
they allowed me to go along with three others. That was the time we
escaped from the camp” she said.
The escapee, who said she couldn’t trace her way back to the forest
acknowledged that they were held in the forest, as they could hear the
sect members talking.
“No, I do not think I will know, you
know we travelled at night. When we went to urinate, we started running.
We were too scared, we just kept running, believing that with God on
our side, we would get help” she said.
Simon said after they had ran very far from the forest, they
fortunately came across a Fulani herdsman, who helped them out of the
bush to the express-road where they boarded a vehicle back to Chibok.She disclosed that she was in Maiduguri, because they were asked to come and watch a video that was recently released by the Boko Haram, leader Abubakar Shakau, in order for them to ascertain if the other girls who are still in captivity are all from GGSS.
Simon, who confirmed that there were many of her schoolmates in the video, added that she felt a little bit relieved seeing that they are still alive, and expressed optimism that they will come back like she did.
The elated escapee asserted that she felt bad when she saw some her schoolmates that are Christians reciting the Holy Koran.
“It makes me feel sad knowing that
they must have been forced to recite the Koran. I know four of the girls
to be good Christians that will never accept to change their faith. It
is sad that they have been forced to become Muslims” Simon said.
