Dozens Of Wives Reportedly Slaughtered By Their Boko Haram Husbands Before Gwoza Showdown

 

Dozens of women in Maiduguri, who were forced to marry Boko Haram Insurgents have reportedly been killed by their "husbands" before a battle with Nigerian troops in the northeast town of Bama, yesterday Thursday March 19th.

According to multiple witnesses reports, who recounted the massacres to AFP said the Islamist militants feared they would be killed by advancing soldiers or separated from their wives when they fled the town. They killed the women to prevent them from subsequently marrying soldiers or other so-called non-believers, they added.

"The terrorists said they will not allow their wives to be married to infidels," said Sharifatu Bakura, 39, a mother of three, who was one of the five witnesses that spoke to APF. 

Another witness Salma Mahmud recounted the Islamists said "if they kill their wives, they would remain pious until both of them meet again in heaven, where they would re-unite."

While Aba Kassim, a vigilante who fought alongside the military in the battle to retake Bama, said he saw "dozens of women corpses" in the town. The number of casualty figure were impossible to verify.
Bukara's husband was killed by the insurgents four months ago but she was spared from a forced marriage because she was visibly pregnant.

AFP further reported that witnesses who were taken under military protection this week to Borno's capital Maiduguri, 73 kilometres (45 miles) away, said the killing of women began 10 days before Bama was liberated.

52-year-old Fanna Aisami, said the executions followed a warning from Boko Haram's top commander in the town.

"He informed them of the situation and ‎the consequence of the takeover of the town by the advancing troops. He warned them that when soldiers killed them they would take their wives back to the society where they would be forced to marry and live with infidels. The commander "said it would be better for them to kill their wives and send them to heaven." Aisami added.

While, Yagana Mairambe, 58, reported similar details but told AFP that "some Boko Haram men refused" and fled with their wives towards neighbouring Yobe state.

However, Nigeria's military along with forces from neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger have claimed huge victories over the insurgents in recent weeks. Mike Omeri, Nigeria's national security spokesman told AFP he would try to verify the reports.