A rescued victim of the February 3 terrorist onslaught on the Woro and Nuku communities in the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State has shared a harrowing account of survival, resilience, and medical heroism during her six-month ordeal in captivity.

Amirah Salihu, a professional nurse and daughter of the traditional chief of Woro community, Umar Salihu, revealed that she single-handedly took delivery of 10 pregnant women using nothing but her bare hands while being held hostage in the forest.

Salihu made the shocking disclosures during an exclusive broadcast interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Detailing the severe deprivation faced by the hostages, Salihu painted a grim picture of their daily survival under the custody of the insurgents. The captives, primarily women and children, were subjected to extreme weather and starvation.

“The kind of food they were giving us was bad," Salihu recounted. "The day we arrived, they just dropped guinea corn for us with salt and Maggi. Every day after that, they gave us one bag of corn without oil, pepper, or anything. There was a day they didn’t even give us Maggi again, just salt.”

She added that the abductors briefly provided kuka (a local baobab leaf preparation) before cutting off the supply entirely.

Shelter was non-existent, leaving the victims exposed to torrential rains. “They kept us inside a river. The place where we slept was right by the river. Rain fell heavily on us. If we tried to set a fire to stay warm, they ordered us to put it off immediately,” she said.

Despite her own suffering, Salihu`s professional instincts kicked in when fellow captives went into labor. Fearing for her safety, she initially hid her medical background when the terrorists began searching for healthcare workers.

“They asked, ‘Is there any nurse with us?’ I said no, because I was scared. But as a nurse, I couldn’t watch them suffer. I just started helping the pregnant women deliver. I assisted about 10 women through childbirth without gloves. I used my bare hands to deliver those babies,” Salihu stated.

The terrorists eventually discovered her skills and attempted to forcibly recruit her into their ranks. “When they found out, they wanted to keep me. They insisted I should stay back with them permanently, but I refused. I told them I wanted to go home.”

When questioned about the attackers` motives, Salihu explained that the insurgents claimed to be executing a divine mandate against democratic governance.

“They kept saying they are doing Allah’s work and that we must live strictly by their interpretations. They claimed democracy and the constitution are evils. That is why they invaded our village and killed people,” she said.

The invasion hit Salihu`s family directly. Her senior and junior brothers were both executed during the raid. According to her, the killings were a retaliatory measure against her father, the community chief, who had previously resisted the terrorists` encroachment and requested military protection for the area. Unfortunately, the terrorists struck unexpectedly after the deployed soldiers had departed.

“They arrived at our house suddenly. Looking at their dressing and appearance, I knew immediately they were Boko Haram,” she stated.

She, however, confirmed that despite the brutality, there were no incidents of rape or sexual assault against the female captives during her time in the camp.

Salihu was among the 176 women and children abducted during the February 3 raid. The surviving hostages regained their freedom following a coordinated operation. According to official figures released by the Kwara State Government, 13 children tragically lost their lives due to the harsh conditions in captivity, while 12 other individuals remain unaccounted for.

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, officially received the rescued victims in Ilorin. He extended his deepest condolences to the families of those who died in the forest and expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian military hierarchy for securing the release of the citizens.

The governor subsequently visited a state general hospital where 14 of the rescued victims—including three women who gave birth while in the forest—are currently undergoing intensive medical treatment and rehabilitation.