“My name is Balogun Oluwasegun from Ogun
state but resides in Borno state Lassa Town, Askira-Uba Local Government
Area in Borno state and working with Jimisegs Nigeria Limited. As an
artist, we do always get jobs in churches and mosques all around the
area. But on February 17, 2015, I was on my way to enter into the church
auditorium for two reasons: to deliver a job for them and see my wife
and the children because it was on Tuesday and this Tuesday is for women
Bible classes and she always go with my kids.
While coming through the back door that led
to the church auditorium (as I did not take the main entrance for
security reasons), I heard sporadic gunshots. They shot through the
window of the church, and many people were killed. Many members who
attended the church service were also injured People were shouting and
screaming and I never want to see what was happening but because my
family was in the church for the women Bible classes.
As I was trying to see a way of seeing what
was happening but I could not while trying to see what I can do three
guys came out of the auditorium one of them was seriously wounded with
gunshot injuries, and while trying to rescue him he fell down and told
us that it was one Musa that shot at him. but the other guy got the
message in which it was later the guy was telling us about the Musa he
was saying but died while trying to tell us this. Because of this
development, fear gripped me and with the situation of my leg I can’t
run, so I quickly thought of what to do and the best for me was to hide
because I can’t run.
To avoid being victim of the insurgence, I
quickly ran into church choir’s room and covered myself with clothes and
the drums, as I hid myself, I was hearing this gunmen speaking in their
language and shouting Allau Akbar about 20 minutes after I did not hear
them again and no gun shots. With the hope that they have gone, I came
out from my hiding, but to my surprise I saw people that had been
slaughtered and killed littering the ground, and despite the fear of
being attacked that is in me, I still remained resolute that I must get
to my destination because of my family that were in the church.
But while I was trying to take them out of
the church, I saw the two other guys who are also devotees of the church
also coming out from the hideout but one of them was seriously injured
too but managed to narrate to me that the guy that died knows one of the
gun men which his name is Musa. While describing the said Musa to me, I
realized I know him too, and said Musa was the one that shot him about
15 minutes after people started coming out of the church, to my greatest
surprise I did not see my wife and my kids only to be told later by eye
witnesses around that the armed men had kidnapped some people, and
since then I have not being myself. I have reported the matter to the
policemen that came to the scene and they promised to do all things
within their power to get them rescued.
The matter was reported at a nearby police
station, but to my surprised, since February20, 2015, which is four days
after the attack on the church, I learnt that a friend called John was
also killed in a hospital by the insurgents. With this report, I was
shocked; in fact this is what I can describe as the ‘greatest shock’ of
my life. Also, on February 22, 2015, six days the third guy too was
killed by this same Boko Haram group, and meanwhile I came to my senses
that we are four that left alive that day. Since then I have been
receiving strange phone calls threatening my life.
