A young lady, whose father was brutally killed in an attack by suspected Fulani bandits in the Hurti community of Monguna district of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, has narrated how her inability to see the corpse of her beloved dad before he was buried in a mass grave has affected her life.
The lady, who narrated her harrowing experience in a video interview with conflict journalist, Masara Kim Usman, said she was in school when the bandits carried out the deadly attack on the community, killing over 46 people, including her father, who was a pastor in the community.
According to her narration, the most painful thing that would remain a big scar for the rest of her life is that she did not even get the chance to bid her father a proper goodbye as he was buried in a mass grave before she and her brother who was also a student, could arrive home after the attack.
In a post accompanying the video, Masara wrote:
“She didn’t even get to say goodbye… He was buried in a mass grave before she even learned of it.
“He was more than a father; he was a friend, a counselor, a comforter, a provider, and a dedicated pastor who served with extraordinary passion.
“In the fifth week of Lent, when radical Islamist terrorists invaded their town with murder in their hearts, he was their first target.
“Meanwhile, she was at school, unaware of the tragedy until she discovered he had been buried in a mass grave alongside over 46 of his Church members, leaving a deep scar in her heart.”
Speaking in the video, the heartbroken young girl said:
“My dad was a clergyman who served in the Hurti community of Monguna district of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
“My brother and I were in school while our dad and mum were at home. The bandits attacked the community in broad daylight around 2 pm or thereabouts.
“They were just sitting under the shed of a tree in the compound. When the attackers arrived, they both attempted to escape.
“My mum managed to run into the compound but my dad was not that lucky as they shot and killed him at the back of the compound.
“The community people that we called to find out what happened refused to tell me that my dad had been killed but they told my brother because they knew he could handle the news.
“My brother took me home and that was when I found out that my father was brutally killed by the bandits. I did not even see his corpse because it was buried in a mass burial.
“That incident really pained me a lot because I really wanted to see his corpse and bid him a proper goodbye.
“Maybe I could even get relief to some extent but now it seems to me as if he just disappeared or something. That is the real painful part,” she said.
Watch video.