Woman sends SOS to govt over suspected Boko Haram attacks

Mrs Christiana Onakpoberuo, the wife of a church leader in Iba, LASU-Igando area of Lagos State, Deacon Lucky Onakpoberuo, has sent a Save Our Soul (SOS) message to the Federal Government over threat to her life and those of her family members.

Mrs Onakpoberuo, in a statement issued on Monday, expressed fears over the safety of her family after her husband had an encounter with some persons suspected to be sympathetic to the Boko Haram sect.

The Onakpoberuo’s family

According to the statement, her husband and members of his family became targets of the suspected sect members after he joined some members of his church, the Logos Aflame Ministries, to pay a visit to a camp of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Adamawa State as part of a philanthropic outreach.

“Seeing the poor living conditions of the displaced persons, and hearing their tales of woes in the hands of Boko Haram, my husband broke into tears. He was not the same person by the time he returned home. He was still in the disturbed mood the following day when he ran into a group of people in the area discussing the Boko Haram menace, and expressing support for the insurgents.”

“My husband, a generally quiet and easy-going person, spoke angrily with them and expressed surprise that people could unleash the kind of venom that the IDPs are suffering on fellow citizens. My husband spoke innocently and left the group.

“About one hour after, one of the persons in the group came to our house and told us not to sleep in the house that night. He said that my husband’s speech drew the anger of the people and that he overhead them discussing plan to attack us.

“At first we disbelieved him, but wise counsel prevailed. We hurriedly left the town that night. The following morning, we received telephone calls from neighbours that a group of people chanting “Allahu Akbar” stormed our house that night. Angry that they did not meet us at home, they vandalized everything in sight. They searched for us from one room to another.”

She said: “A neighbour who got in touch with us on phone told us that the fanatics have sent word round their network of members in other states to look out for us,” and prayed for the intervention of the Federal Government in the provision of security for her family.

“Now, our children cannot go to school and we have gone underground. How can we be displaced in our country?” she asked, wondering when it became an offence for her husband to plead with the insurgents to stop abducting girls and discouraging them from acquiring education.