Aisha Bakari Gombi, 38, was born and raised near the Sambisa forest, the headquarters of Boko Haram. She is one of the few women who have been recruited by Nigerian soldiers as a volunteer to fight the terrorist group. Aisha Bakari Gombi has always been in the business of hunting. As a child, she hunted antelopes with her father.
Her experience and knowledge of the forest has made her the leader of a team with 15-20 volunteers despite her limited training in military operations. She is a woman of mean repute, whose bravery and keen hunting abilities have earned her the title of ‘Queen Hunter’. Her record is also admirable as her team has been able to rescue a high number of Boko Haram captives and neutralize the sections of the terrorist group.
Five years later, accountability for this gross crime against Nigeria’s democracy remains elusive. No one has been held responsible for the killings. Instead, Nigeria’s civic space continues to shrink, and the same patterns of state overreach persist.
Eleven years later, at least 91 of these 276 girls remain unaccounted for. Many were forcefully married to their captors, some died, and the insecurity that had marked Northeast Nigeria has metastasized and spread across the North-West and North-Central of the country.
Global Rights expresses deep sorrow over the recent petrol tanker explosion in Niger State that claimed at least 70 lives, and left countless families in mourning. This devastating incident underscores the urgent need for comprehensive measures to prevent such recurring tragedies.