Mrs. Margaret Haruna Dashe is wife of
one of the workers of the University of
Maiduguri, Borno State, kidnapped by
Boko Haram. She shares her grief with
UMAR MUHAMMED
Can we meet you ?
I am an indigene of Jos , Plateau State
but I live in Nasarawa State . My
husband, Dashe Haruna, was a driver
with the University of Maiduguri,
before he was kidnapped by Boko
Haram in Maiduguri, Borno State , on
July 26 , 2017 .
What was your last conversation
with him ?
In the morning of July 26 , which was
my birthday , he woke me up with a
call from Maiduguri before he left for
work and sang a birthday song to me.
He told me he would be back by 2 pm.
That was the last thing he told me.
How did you receive the news of his
abduction?
It was serious. That day, when he left
for work, I called his mobile phone at
2 pm since he told me that was the time
he would return home . The line was
switched off and I waited for
sometime before calling it again . At a
point , it was no longer connecting and
I was confused . After some hours, I
called it back at 8 pm and the situation
was the same. It was then that I
decided to reach out to one of his
colleagues . I told him that I had been
trying my husband ’s phone and that it
was not connecting.
I asked him if all was well with him
and he said yes. I begged him to help
me check him. He called me back after
around 10 pm that day to tell me that it
seemed the battery of my husband’s
mobile was low .
I said there was no problem and I told
him that if he could call me back by
midnight to let me know the situation
of things , I would be glad.
I waited endlessly till the following
day but he didn’t call me . I called him
and his line was switched off . When I
eventually got him, he told me that my
husband and some UNIMAID workers
went for a research work and
something happened to them . I later
learnt that my husband and some of
his colleagues in the university were
kidnapped by Boko Haram . Since then,
I have not heard anything about him.
How are your kids doing ?
I have not been finding things easy
since my husband was held by Boko
Haram. Everything has been difficult
for me . I have a one- year- old baby.
The other five children always ask me,
“ Mummy , where is daddy?”
They wanted to know what happened
to him, where he is and why he has
not come home since. Before the
incident, whenever he called me from
Maiduguri, he would ask me to give
the phone to his children and he
would speak to them one after the
other . I have a beauty shop which I
used to manage to take care of the six
children. But his absence has made
things very difficult for me and our
children.
What do you tell them whenever
they ask for their father ?
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People always come to our house for
prayers. So , as people pray for the
release of my husband, the kids always
hear them . From there , they got to
know what happened to their father.
They cry every day to see him but I am
helpless.
What did your husband tell you the
day he was going for the
assignment?
I think the day he called after leaving
the house on my birthday was the day
he went for the assignment . He told
me that he would be driving some
researchers in the university to the
place they were to carry out the
research.
They were on a research to look for
oil. I remember that he told me to be
praying for him that the place they
were going to was not an easy place.
I also remember that he told me that
he would fast because he was afraid . I
learnt that the day they were to finish
the work, the car they were travelling
in was faulty and they could not go to
site for three days until they put the
car in order .
Has anybody contacted you on the
matter ?
Yes, some workers in the University of
Maiduguri always call me every day.
They also pay me visits regularly .
What is your message to Boko
Haram and the Federal
Government?
Seriously, I have not been finding
things easy especially coping with my
six children. I am pleading with Boko
Haram. I don ’ t know if they have
made their demands known to the
Federal Government.
But I want them to please release my
husband for God’ s sake and that of my
children. I am also appealing to the
Federal Government to give them what
they want so that they can release my
husband. The Federal Government has
not come to our aid and my children
are going to resume school this week.
How have your husband ’ s relatives
been assisting you ?
My husband’s elder sister spent two
weeks with us after the incident. My
sister and some extended family
members have been with me since my
husband’s abduction . My husband’s
colleagues at work have been really
wonderful . God will bless them
abundantly. I am only worried that the
Federal Government is not concerned
about our plight .
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