Madam Aduke Jimoh, popularly known as Mama Aduke, has shared her encounters with the dreaded Boko Haram sect with the Nation.
She is in her early 80s,
very quiet and could easily go unnoticed in a crowd. Although a businesswoman
had made money and acquired properties, she is philanthropic and does not live
ostentatious life. In her compound in Owo, Ondo state, there are heaps of
animal hides and skin, kegs of palm oil, packed in all the corners.
When
asked how she got around at her age despite the pervading insurgency, she said
that she was not afraid of terrorists.
“I don’t fear anybody
except God. Walahi! I have come across tigers, bears and some other dangerous
animals and even bandits while crossing the Cameroon border; I have also come
across the so-called Boko Haram militants, but I can tell you that they respect
me.”
Speaking
about her successful trading business, Mama Aduk said:
“I don’t know any other
business other than buying and selling hides and skin, palm oil, and I have
been doing this for the past 60years. I buy my products from Muni in Adamawa
state; I had my children and trained them there. I have houses in Damaturu,
Baga, Bauchi and in some other places in the North. I am a philanthropist. I
hate to see people suffer.”
Encounters
With The Boko Haram Sect
The first time Mama Aduke
encountered the members of the Boko Haram sect was about 14 years ago, when
they were less aggressive.
“I used to meet them in the
bush; they were then armed with their riffles and I would be singing for them:
Yaro mbasa Yaro, baba Yaro mbasa times, I came across them three years ago and
last year. I remember them saying then Yaro, while they in turn would be
dancing. And then they would let me go. They tied red scarfs on their heads and
leather strings on their waists.
“In recent that part of
their grievances was that they don’t want prostitution, they don’t want to see
people (women) who go about half-naked and many other things. Some of them were
Almajiris before. But later I began to hear news of how aggressive they have
become. The first time I heard of them ever killing, was when they killed
policemen. I felt so bad because that negates the image I had of them.
“In those days, they hardly
gave anybody serious cause to worry. Some of them are in Dorobaga, Oke Dutse,
where they used stones to build houses. The other issue I heard them complain
about was that our government was bad and that after going through school,
young people have no jobs. They also said as an old mother or woman like me is
supposed to be entitled stipends from the government and not be working like I
was doing,” she said.
Mama Aduke added that the
Boko haram members usually sang and danced every time she met them:
“Whenever I see them, they
would start singing for me and they would be dancing too. I used to meet them
around the Maiduguri border.”
Continuing her narration,
Mama Aduke said that the Boko haram members used to tell her that they would
stop fighting the day someone like Muhammadu Buhari became president, because
all graduates who are out of job would get jobs.” However, she denied the
allegations that Buhari was behind their insurgency as it was widely rumoured.
“Buhari has no hands in it
and neither does IBB; people just mischievously used their names because of
their fame,” she said.
Aside the Boko haram
insurgency, the octogenarian businesswoman and other traders used to encounter
other dangers while traversing the country.
“We use to see dangerous
animals like tiger, but I never afraid. Whenever I saw them, I would say ‘Kai
na mana!’ and they would go into the river. I remember when some bandits
attacked us when our vehicle broke down around Potiskum.
“They did not attempt
raping me; you know I am an old woman. They just took my money, 50,000 naira
and left,” she said.
When
asked if she has some supernatural powers that keeps her from dangers, the
woman gave a knowing smile and said “I don’t know”.
The
Multi-linguist
Over
time Mama Aduke has acquired competence in several languages and is very proud
of it.
“If you know the kind of
people you do business with, you learn their languages. I speak Yoruba, which
is my language; I speak Hausa language, like I’m chewing kolanuts; while the
French language for me is like speaking my Owo dialect. So you see, I am a
linguist,” the woman said proudly.
Coming
Back Home
“I came back home due to my
old age. I had all my children in the North and they all went to school there.
Today they are scattered all over; some are in the US, the UK, and Nigeria,
practicing their different chosen professions. As I speak, I not only have
landed properties in the North, I also have houses. So I am blessed. Some of my
children are still in Damaturu. However, my husband is dead,” she said.
Faith
In Buhari
Mama Aduke revealed that
she knew President Muhammadu Buhari before he was elected, adding that she had
no doubts that he would deliver all his campaign promises.
“I know Buhari; now that he
has come, there will be peace. He is not the greedy type, he has only one
house. He is also a generous man. I remember when I met him during a Ramadan
festival, we all went of his house where he fed us and gave us money.”
Mama
Aduke’s Wish When She Passes Away
“I want to be buried in my
house in Owo. I have houses in my town, Owo. Like I said earlier, I also have
houses and pieces of land in the North. I am an old woman; I don’t need money
for anything. All that gives me joy now is to assist people who are in need.”
The Nation
Mama ti jeun gboi gboi si ara
ReplyDeleteHardworking woman
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