‘If You Don’t Convert, You Become a Slave’: Survivor Recounts Horrors of Life in Boko Haram Captivity”

Fayina Akilawus has recounted her four-year ordeal in a Boko Haram camp, where she was held captive and treated as a slave for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.

She revealed that militants repeatedly tried to force her and others to convert to Islam, subjecting those who refused to harsh labor and abuse.
After four failed escape attempts and severe punishment, Fayina finally gained freedom on her fifth attempt with the help of a Fulani woman.

Fayina Akilawus has shared the painful details of her four years held captive in a Boko Haram camp. After several failed attempts, she finally escaped on her fifth try, but only after enduring years of being treated as a slave for refusing to give up her faith.

Fayina explained that the militants spent months trying to force her and other Christians to change their religion. When they stood their ground, they were punished. She told Arise News, “They wanted us to convert to Islam and we said no, we will not convert.” She noted that in their camp, the rules were very clear: “It is their own law that if you do not convert to Islam, you become a slave.”

For those who refused to convert, life became a cycle of hard labor. Fayina said, “And if we don’t convert, we’ll still be Christians but we’ll be their slave to do some house chores and other things for them. We’re carrying wood, fetching water and all that.” Before being forced into these roles, the militants spent nine months preaching to them, claiming they wanted them to become “better people in life” by joining their religion.

Escaping was a terrifying process. Fayina’s very first attempt happened on the night she arrived, but she was recaptured after accidentally walking into a militant family’s home. She recalled that the experience was brutal: “They beat the hell out of us.” Despite the violence, she remained determined to find a way out.

On her fifth attempt, she found an unlikely ally in a Fulani woman who sold drinks like Kunu and Nunu near the camp. Fayina pleaded with her for help, saying, “you used to help people to escape, we want to escape.”

Although the woman was afraid of being killed, Fayina kept asking until the woman eventually helped her reach safety. Looking back, Fayina credits her survival to her faith, stating, “with God, all things are possible, too. We prayed over it, and God had mercy on us.”