BORNO – The protracted conflict in North-eastern Nigeria has continued to claim lives and properties of innocent civilians including the lives of a renowned clergy, Pastor Idehen Samuel and his wife, Rose who were gruesomely killed by the armed group commonly known as Boko Haram.
The victims who had three daughters and a son had travelled to the North- East from Edo State in the South- South with their children for missionary work in the late 90s.
The physical and mental devastation this family had already faced was overwhelming. After their house was razed down with the husband and wife and other children inside, it was obvious that the Boko Haram mission was to eliminate everyone in the building.
It was gathered that most families including the Idehen’s family were target of attack in their houses to eliminate them because the father was a renowned Christian faithful.
When the Boko Haram fighters stormed the Damasak community inhabited by Christians, not less than 70 persons were killed on that night and several others wounded.
While the bodies of Pastor and Mrs. Idehen were reportedly recovered from the burnt building, the where about of their children remain unknown, until it was later learnt that one of the son called Evans had narrowly escaped to a neighboring country, Libya.
According to sources, Evans was able to find his way to Libya from where he learnt about the demise of the parents and disappearance of his sisters and brother.
The source who also disclosed that with some money made through menial jobs Evans was able to travel to Europe where he would be safe from the hands of the killers of his parents.
According to sources, since the start of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2009, more than 20,000 people have been killed, 4,000 people abducted and 1.7 million remain displaced, most of them in Borno State.
