Freed by soldiers, Zara, 16, says she would rather be with the Boko Haram fighter who
abducted and impregnated her.
Boko Haram fighters have kidnapped hundreds of girls over the past few years. Almost a year after she was rescued from Boko Haram captivity by the Nigerian army, Zara John, 16, is still in love with one of the fighters who abducted her.
She was delighted to discover that she was pregnant with his child following a urine and blood test carried out by a doctor in the refugee camp to which she was taken after her
rescue.
“I wanted to give birth to my child so that I could have someone to replace his father, since I cannot reconnect with him again,” said Zara, one of hundreds of girls kidnapped by
Boko Haram during a seven-year insurgency in northeast Nigeria.
“As soon as we arrived, they told us that we were now their slaves,” Zara recalled.
“After I became a commander’s wife, I had freedom. I slept any time I wanted, I woke up
any time I wanted,” she said. “He bought me food and clothes and gave me everything that a woman needs from a man.”
“If I had my way, I would retrieve the phone number he gave me,” she said,