Mohammed Haruna Bello (9News Nigeria, Yobe)
On what seems like a beautiful day, the life of Fatima took a dreadful and unexpected turn.
It was unexpected not only because she never saw it coming but because the perpetrator of the evil act is her confidant.
Raised from a modest family in Maisandari, a community in Yobe State’s capital, Damaturu, Fatima, now 20 nurture a dream of becoming a medical doctor.
“My father was greatly impressed when I told him that I wanted to become a medical doctor in the future. I explained to him that my reason for that is not only to save people’s lives, but a motivation stemmed from the scarcity of female doctors in Northern Nigeria,” she said.
Though raised by parents with no Western Education background, she received no shortage of support in pursuing her dream, until the dark hour that changed everything.
Narrating her ordeal in an interview with this reporter, Fatima gave detailed account of the incident that changed her life and ambitions.
Three years earlier, on exactly 6th August, 2023, Fatima received a phone call in the morning hours from her paternal uncle.
“It was a Sunday morning and the incessant crowing of cocks in the neighboring houses woke me from a deep sleep when the morning prayers had already been observed in the mosques.
“I rushed to the bathroom and took bath before praying and then immediately went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the household.
“I finished my morning household chores and I wanted to take a short nap before I could start preparing lunch. It was few minutes pass 10AM when my phone ranged. It was my Uncle and he asked if I could rush to his house to attend to his wife,” she said.
Fatima didn’t hesitate and went straight to the house because of her friendly relationship with her uncle’s wife.
“His wife is my role model and my close companion, with whom I often shared both open and private conversations,” Fatima noted.
Arriving at the house, she recalled meeting the house-door opened, assuming it was the wife’s gesture anticipating her arrival.
“When I entered, the door was immediately closed behind me by my uncle, and then he said he had forgotten his money in his wife’s room and that I should go in and get it for him.”
“I felt unease because his statement confirmed the absence of his wife, but he is my uncle, so I was still comfortable,” she said.
Of all the possible incident that crossed her mind, being raped by her uncle was not among them, but he has other plans as he followed her behind.
“He started touching me and when he realized I am going to resist it, he forcibly shut my mouth with his left hand, using his right hand to carry me to the bed.”
“He then tie my hands with a rope behind my back, and he gagged my mouth with a large rag, making me unable to speak, shout, or make any form of noise.
“He forced himself on me until he was satisfied. I lost my bride that morning because he took my virginity and I cried bitterly,” Fatima narrated.
Aftermath Of The Rape Incident
Typical of rapist, the “criminal” warned her not to tell anyone. However, Fatima told her mother everything that had happened when she arrived home.
Apart from trauma and other emotional challenges faced by rape survivors, other major challenges are stigmatization and discrimination, hence many survivors kept it hidden, and Fatima’s parents were not exceptional, they did not report the case to the police or any law enforcement body.
In the name of protecting the personality of their daughter, her parents keep mute and instead, they took her to the hospital for treatment, where a medical report indicated that she was slightly injured by the incident.
“I continued going to the hospital for frequent check-ups as instructed by the doctor, until he told me that I had fully recovered from the injury I had sustained,” Fatima said.
However, the incident came to light as a result of an intervention by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). They took the case to court, and the rapist was apprehended so that justice could be served.
Unlike other rape survivors, the support from family and friends who are aware of the incident helped Fatima during her healing process as she was never subjected to stigmatization and/or discrimination in her society.
Fatima’s Hope and Education
At the age of 17, Fatima’s dream of becoming a doctor was shattered by what happened to her.
She said that the tragic and traumatic incident put a stop to her education and social life because she stopped going out of the house frequently, except on rare occasions.
Fatima completed her primary school and started secondary education at public schools in Damaturu.
Her educational journey ended in SS 2, a year before she could seat for her Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), when she falls victim of rape.
Her family has now given her hand in marriage to her cousin, who agreed to marry her despite what had happened to her, and only time will tell what is in-store for Fatima’s future as her wedding day is numbered; but is this the end of her education?
A Journey to Healing and Future Prospects
Despite losing sight of her dream of becoming a medical doctor, Fatima’s fighting spirit and resilience can be felt through her words, as she is set to explore other opportunities in life.
“I was not the first, and I doubt that I will be the last. Besides, I am one of the luckiest survivors because I made it out alive. I still have countless opportunities to brighten my future,” she said.
Fatima’s journey to healing is the result of the tireless efforts of her parent and the awareness campaign program of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), particularly the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
The committee organized awareness campaign programs to give survivors a second chance at life by motivating them and showing that rape is not the end of their lives.
They also sponsored the victims to become self-reliant by empowering them to start small and medium-scale businesses.
“IRC programs motivated, encouraged, and reoriented my ideology about not returning to school again. Now, I don’t mind that I am being ruined. Besides, I am not dull. I will go back to school and eventually graduate with good results,” Fatima said with high hopes.
(This report was produced as part of HumAngle’s Strengthening Community Journalism and Human Rights Advocacy (SCOJA) project, supported by The Kingdom of Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria).
