Photo: Boko Haram victim in search of hiswife and seven children

A 40 year old identified as Matthew Zira,
(pictured above) says he's searching for his
wife and seven children after members of Boko
haram invaded their village in Michika LGA of
Adamawa state on September 7th. A
distraught Matthew narrated his ordeal to The
Nation. Read what he said below..
My name is Matthew Zira. I am from Vi village
in Minchika Local Government Area, Adamawa
State. I was living comfortably with my family
until that fateful Friday. Before that day, there
had been rumours that Boko Haram would
attack the village, but no one knew when they
would come. So on that day, as usual, I went
out of the house to look for my daily bread. I
ride commercial motorcycle in the village, I
am also a farmer, and did the commercial
motorcycle work when farm work was over.
So, I left home as early as 6 am on the 7th of
September 2014 on my motorcycle to
commence the business of the day. But at
about noon, I started hearing gunshots and
everyone said Boko Haram had arrived town. I
immediately rushed back home to go and
evacuate my family, but before I got home,
they had fled along with other villagers to an
unknown destination. I went round town
looking for them but could not find them. I
went to the police station, hospitals and
everywhere but could not find them. Before the
evening of that day, Boko Haram had already
taken over the entire village completely. I was
advised not to go back home because all the
houses in the village had been razed by Boko
Haram. I fled to Minchika to continue the
search for my children. Later, we had to flee to
Yola when we heard that Boko Haram would
attack Minchika. I spent one month in Yola
searching everywhere for my children but I
could not find them. Those of us who escaped
from Vi village and other surrounding villages
were camped at the NYSC camp in Yola. I
thought of meeting my children there in the
camp but they were not there. I had to come
to Jos because I was told that thousands of
Adamawa people ran to Jos. But I have
searched all the IDP camps in Jos since the
5th of November when I arrived, I can’t still
find them. There is even no iota of information
about where I could find them. “Others who
lost their families during the rush to escape
have found their people, but in my own case,
I’m still searching in vain. It is only God that
will reveal to me what happened to my family.
So, I am only looking up to God now because I
have done all that is humanly possible. I am
really in trauma; at night I can’t sleep, I keep
thinking of my children. At times, if I am
eating and the thought of the whereabouts of
my children came to my mind, I will not be
able to eat any longer, from that moment I will
lose appetite. I am pleading with any Nigerian
who knows where I can locate my children to
contact me on my phone – 07037728905. My
wife’s name is Tinana Mathew. My seven
children are Rita, Ziramatu, Tumbamatu,
Kwata, Racheal and one-yearold Doris. Please,
I am eagerly waiting for any information on
their whereabouts.” he said