Pastor
Enoch Mark, whose daughter, Monica, and others were abducted in the Chibok
community of Borno State on the
14th of April, 2014, speaks on his experience so far when
interviewed by VICTORIA EDEME on the sad impacts of his child’s
abduction
Could
you recall how you got to know about your daughter’s kidnap 10 years ago?
My name is Pastor Enoch Mark. I live in Abuja
presently, but I’m from Adamawa State. I have six children. Monica Mark is my
second child. When she was kidnapped on April 14, 2014, she was 18 years old. I
was in Chibok then. I was a pastor in the Church of the Brethren in the area. I
was transferred from Michika, Adamawa State to Chibok in Borno State. I had
been there for just some months so I didn’t even know the town too well. My
daughter attended the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok. On 14 April
2014, there was a gun attack all over the town. There were shootings everywhere
and we were all running for our dear lives that night. While we ran, I didn’t
go far. I just stood somewhere behind the town. Early in the morning, I came
out to see the church because it looked like they set fire to my church, so I
was not able to stay for a long time. I was moved to go and see what was
burning. But fortunately enough, it was not the church. It was a place that was
very close to my church. We also discovered that girls from the community had
been taken captive by Boko Haram. I saw the car carrying some girls and I
pursued it. While pursuing, I saw that one of the cars had broken down on the
way, and some men were guiding it while it was being fixed. They said that if
anybody came close, they would ‘finish’ the person. I was forced to come back.
On the way back, I met one of the daughters of my watchmen who was among the
girls that were kidnapped. She jumped from the car and escaped. As I met her on
the way, I brought her back to the town.
How
have you been dealing with the fact that your child is still in captivity ten
years after the incident?
I cannot explain how it had been because it was very terrible. I lost her
mother, Martha, because of the trauma she went through. She died on July 10,
2020. Even because of too much thinking, I came down with a stroke. Presently,
I’m suffering from stroke. When I lost my wife and I remembered that my
daughter Monica was in captivity, I couldn’t hold myself. I just didn’t know
when I collapsed on the ground. As I’m talking to you now, I cannot walk for a
long distance.
How certain are
you that your wife died from the trauma of the incident?
Since my daughter was kidnapped, my wife has been
going up and down praying in so many places. They often call her from Lagos for
newspaper and radio interviews, and she always goes. There are even pictures of
her in the newspapers when she was crying. She cried while she was being
interviewed. She wasn’t able to eat. Whenever we remembered to pray for Monica,
she would shed tears. She died while calling the name of Monica.
How did your other children react to Monica’s
kidnap?
I cannot explain it, because when we discovered that
our daughter was kidnapped, the children, the mother, and the relatives were
not at ease. We all felt the pain, and we can’t explain how badly we feel.
Can you share a
bit about your daughter? What was she like before the abduction?
Her mother was so worried about her because Monica
never allowed her to do any work. Her mother did not touch anything in the
house when Monica was still with us. Monica would clean our house, cook for us,
and do everything for us. When Monica was taken by Boko Haram, it took us one
year to know what to do. One year later, we didn’t know what to do. We do not
even know how to sit down together and pray again. When we think of Monica, we
know that, indeed, we miss something of value in our lives. Monica is a
daughter who respects us.
How have you
been able to cope with the uncertainty of what happened to her these past 10
years?
If you hear my voice, you can hear that it is shaky.
I cannot talk straightforwardly because of the stroke. I can hardly breathe now
and that’s why my speech ceases sometimes, when I talk. What I feel is very
terrible and painful. That’s how I’ve been living with a stroke, especially
since I lost my wife.
It was reported
that some of the Christian girls who were kidnapped in Chibok were forced to
convert to Islam. How did you feel when you heard that?
I felt very bad. I was not happy when I learned that. I was even
praying that if they were forced to change to a different religion, let God
take the life of my Monica instead. Let her not deny Jesus. Instead of denying
Jesus, let God take her life. I was praying that she would never deny Jesus. I
was praying that she would die with her faith in Jesus. If they can kill her
because she refused to change her religion, and she died with her faith, I will
be grateful.
How has the
government’s response to the kidnapping affected you and other families?
There is nothing the government has done about it.
When I was at Chibok, I was the chairman and spokesman for the parents of the
kidnapped Chibok girls. When they saw me coming to Abuja and going back to
Chibok, some people tried to kill me. So I ran and left Chibok for my dear
life. That’s why I’m in Abuja now with the rest of my children.
How do you know
that people wanted to kill you?
My members – about three different groups – came to
me and asked me to leave the town. They told me about the plans they had heard.
And truly, I also experienced it. A man called me, as the chairman of the
parents of Chibok missing girls, to call the parents. I asked him why and he
started insulting me. From our discussion, his speech revealed that he was
totally against me.
· Plateau
Varsity Shut Down Over Attacks: Varsity Assures Enhanced Security
· Bobrisky
aka ‘Mummy Of Lagos’ Sentenced To 6 Months Imprisonment
· Dispatch
Rider Testifies In Court How He Collected $3m Cash For Emefiele
Have you faced
any attacks since you came to Abuja?
No.
When I came to Abuja, I didn’t tell anybody or announce where I was staying.
I’m just in hiding.
After
three days of our daughters’ abduction, our women were just crying all over the
place. As a pastor, I was the one who called them to advise them about forming
a group. I told them that we should form a committee so that when we report to
the government, action could be taken.
After
three days of our daughters’ abduction, our women were just crying all over the
place. As a pastor, I was the one who called them to advise them about forming
a group. I told them that we should form a committee so that when we report to
the government, action could be taken.
Have you had
any contact or received any information about your daughter since she was
taken?
No.
I’ve never had any information. What I keep hearing is based on what people
have said. Some people were saying that some of the Chibok girls who returned
said that they were together with my daughter and she is still alive. That was
the last word I heard about it.
When did you hear that news?
I
heard this last year when some of the Chibok girls were rescued. As you know,
Boko Haram captured over 200 girls. And now, most of them have returned. Those
who are yet to return are about 85 in number. So it remains 85 now left that
have not returned and are still in the captivity of the Boko Haram terrorists.
85 girls are still missing.
Have you heard anything about
your daughter this year?
No,
I haven’t heard anything.
Aside from the information that
your daughter was still with her captors, did you get any additional details?
Some of the girls were married
off to the Boko Haram men. Some have given birth already or something like
that. So there is no added information about her concerning that. It’s just
that I was only told that she was still alive.
Having heard that your daughter
was still alive, how did that make you feel?
I’m
just hoping that God brings her back.
Do you have any plans for her
when hopefully she eventually returns?
I
can’t say that until she comes. When she comes, I’ll know what decision to make
about her future. I presently don’t know how it will be because if she were
here with me, I’d have been able to determine and talk about that. But now she
is not around, I don’t know how it will be till she comes.
What are your thoughts on the
government’s response to the kidnappings in the country?
The
Bible has told us all Christians who read their Bibles and know what Matthew
24, verse 1 to the end says. This is what is happening. Jesus is about to come.
Our government is just very loose. They don’t care about shedding blood or
whatever might happen to our children. I am calling upon the government to let
them do all the best they can. We know the Lord will never neglect us. The Lord
will never reject us. Well, what is happening presently is the fulfillment of
the scripture. What the Lord has said, it must happen. Let Christians be
faithful, and be strong in the Lord. As the Lord told us in Matthew 24, at the
end of the world, when Jesus is about to come, there will be famine, and there
will be war in every country. There will be all sorts of difficulties in the
country. And now, it’s all over the nation. Let us be mindful as Christians
concerned. Let us be close to our Bible. Let us read the Bible, understand it,
and obey it.
es, I do pray for myself. I
learned that in Chibok. The Muslims and Christians gathered and prayed in the
Government Girls Secondary School on April 14 last week, but I was not
informed. But I do pray concerning that daily. On the very day of the kidnap, I
hold a special prayer and fasting. I prayed for myself. I prayed that the Lord
strengthen some of the parents and let God stop kidnappings in Nigeria.
What message would you like to
share with people around the world on the ongoing struggles faced by families
like yours?
What
I want the people to understand is that our government has sold us to our
enemies. All that is happening is in the hands of the government. (General
Sani) Abacha used to say that when there is a problem in the country and it
exceeds 24 hours, the government is interested in the case. Our military men do
go out to assist some countries and they will be free. But why is that not
possible in Nigeria? Does it mean the Boko Haram are stronger than our army?
Boko Haram is not stronger than our army. Some time ago, some people were
mentioned, about nine people, as Boko Haram’s financiers and supporters. What
has the government done about this? The Nigerian government is weak. If they
cannot protect us, I know that someday, the Lord Almighty will save this country.
God will never be silent about this. It will take time. God will avenge us. Our
government has sold us to our enemies and God will deliver us from the hands of
our enemies.
Send your articles for publication to our email, estheroyeyemiassociates@gmail.com
