I Ran Like a Mad Dog In The Bush From Boko Haram - Police Officer

This report is hilarious. Our Police can't face the BH people one on
one. Well, who wants to die for his/her country? No one wants to die
for Naija. If it's not condition, most of our Police Officers won't
even think of joining the force.

Police Officer Jacob Oriojeku (real name withheld for security
purposes) had barely spent two days at the popular Gwoza Police
Training Camp in Borno State when Boko Haram insurgents attacked them
with a deadly force on August 20, 2014, at about 2pm.

Traumatized Jacob shared his ordeal with Leadership's Agbo-Paul Augustine.

Read his story below:

How did you stay out of harm's way when Boko Haram invaded the police camp?

I crawled, with my bare chest against the ground, to the camp's fence
and scaled the fence to the farmland behind. I met some of the senior
officers half naked and without ammunition. We then ran past some
villages before sleeping somewhere, enduring all insect bites
overnight in the bushes.

Tell us what you saw on arriving Gwoza Camp?

I arrived Gwoza Camp on August 18 2014 from my base, in one of the two
trucks that drove my squadron to the camp. The camp looked like any
other camp I had visited, but on entering the place, I noticed that
the Quarter Guard had been burnt. I was told Boko Haram insurgents
burnt it in an earlier attack on the camp.

I saw one armoured personnel tank, two trucks besides the two that
brought us and one anti-riot water truck. Two instructors each were
stationed in beats to secure various parts of the camp.

The camp had a large dormitory housing all trainees, usually on a
double bunk with each carrying a 6-spring mattress. The camp has
electricity supply and a reservoir where we source our water needs.

The first day I came to Gwoza, they served us beans with no meat or
fish and for lunch, rice and beans with nothing either, but most of
the trainees rely on the popular commandant market within the camp for
alternative meals.

Tell us what happened at August 20, 2014 in Gwoza camp?

On that fateful day, we were ordered to all submit our rifles and arms
before heading for the routine training. After the morning jogging
that ended at about 9am, we went for our breakfast and about 11am, I
noticed a fighter jet flying over the camp and later another flew over
us again.

After breakfast, we went to our various classes for lectures and at
1pm we were asked to go for lunch. Instructions later came that all of
us should take a rest till 4pm, before another session of training. I
took advantage of the break to have my hair cut before taking rest.

I got to the hostel and took off my clothes, leaving me with only
knickers on and suddenly, I heard the camps rapid alert at 2pm.
Information reaching us said something was happening and we should
assemble for instructions. Before I could come out of the hostel, the
camp's armoury had been overwhelmed by officers desperately trying to
collect their arms. In spite of the difficulties, I was able to grab
my rifle.

As I was leaving the armoury, the Boko Haram armoured tank had already
penetrated the main gate and the insurgents were shooting sporadically
around the camp church. People were running for their lives,
especially those who couldn't get arms as pandemonium ensued.

What did you do afterwards?

I just took cover inside the gutter and started crawling amidst
intense gun firing. While inside the gutter I fired seven shots,
hitting the Boko Haram tank, but they were well guided. When I looked
up to check my back, I realised my colleagues had disappeared, leaving
me alone. I thought all of us would pin-down and engage the Boko Haram
invaders.

After realising others had run away and the firing from the insurgents
was intense, and knowing too that I alone cannot stand them with my
AK-47, I decided to stop shooting to avoid attracting them to me. I
just laid in the gutter and started crawling towards the nearby
bushes.