Steven Kefas: How I Slipped Out Of Nigeria Amidst Threats To My Life
This week in Nigeria Report: Steven Kefas is one of the leading journalists covering the slow genocide of indigenous Christians in his native state of Kaduna. Last month, the threats against his life from Nigerian security services and Fulani militias became so intense that he was forced to flee Nigeria to a third country.
Here, he tells his story:
A day before my friend Father John Mark was buried, I was warned by a friend who works with one of the intelligence agencies not to attend the burial. He warned me that plans to abduct me were at an advanced stage, and that I should leave northern Nigeria, and possibly the country, if I could.
Less than two weeks later, on 27 July, I embarked on a tumultuous journey through one of Nigeria's northern borders by road. I left the country with nothing other than the clothes I was wearing, my passport and, most importantly, faith. It was a journey I never planned for but that was necessary if I was to stay alive. I had no idea where I was going.
VIDEO: CSI's Joel Veldkamp and Franklyne Ogbunwezeh interview Steven Kefas about his flight.
PLUS: Masara Kim tells the story of David Pam, a four-month-old child from Plateau state who lost his hand during a Fulani militia attack on his village, in which most of his family was killed:
According to one witness, the terrorists then moved to one of the bedrooms, where little David Pam was being shielded against the wall by his mother, Nvou Pam. “I heard her scream amid rapid gunfire and ran out to the back of the house,” she said.
When the terrorists left the compound at 7.30 pm, a brave Jerry Pam rushed into the building and picked up his crying baby brother from the back of his mother, whose body was riddled with bullets. One of the bullets had apparently exited through her back and shot off little David’s right arm above the elbow.
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