[A MUST SEE FOR CONCIOUS CHRISTIANS] List of stolen Christian Girls: Name changed and Married to the North+Interview with parents

November 19, 2015, was an unusual day for Mrs. Onah. A trader at a popular market in Bauchi State, she went about her business until a telephone call came through.

“One of my kinsmen called me on the phone and told me that my daughter, Linda, 16, was seen alighting from a car with a man in Tarsha Durumi village, Bauchi.

“He said she had been there for up to four days and that she was always sighted at night and not during the day,”she said.  Onah said she was in doubt and assumed it was a case of two persons looking alike.

According to her, Linda was meant to be in school in Enugu and not with an unknown man in Tarsha Durumi village.

A distraught Onah said: “Not convinced and trying to prove him wrong, I immediately called my husband’s sister who was her guardian in Enugu. She told me Linda had been gone for about six days. Linda told her she was going to visit another relative of my husband, named Patty who also lives in Enugu. I also called Patty, who told me Linda was not at her place but that my daughter said she was going to visit a friend of hers that was getting married, and she had not seen her for six days.”

According to Mrs. Onah, her husband went in search of their daughter at Tarsha Durumi on Sunday and Monday but didn’t succeed in getting her.

“At about 2pm on Monday, a messenger delivered a letter to us from the Bauchi State Shari’ah Commission, informing us that our daughter, Linda, had been converted to Islam, with her name changed to Aisha, and that she had been handed to the custody of the Da’awah Council, Bauchi,” Linda’s mother said.

Corroborating the story, Mr. Onah, added that they were denied access to their daughter.

“We have been to the commission on several occasions but they never let us see our daughter, except for once. This was on the second Monday in February, when they brought her out. She could not speak to me, as she cried all through.”

The Onahs approached a non-governmental organisation to intervene in the issue but all efforts proved abortive.

My daughter isn’t 18 years old — Mother

Mrs. Onah speaks about her daughter’s abduction

Where do you live?

We live in Katanga Giwa village in Bauchi; we relocated from Tarsha Durumi village in the same state. That was where my daughter was seen. I was told that she alighted from a car with a man. The man was identified as Mallam Shagari; that she was always sighted at night and not during the day.

What was your initial reaction?

She had no reason to be in Bauchi at that time. I replied that it could be a lookalike, but the person who told me insisted and even said people who knew her already confirmed that Linda was around the area. I did not believe it until I called my sister-in-law. She told me that Linda said she was going to visit another relative of my husband named Patty. We called Patty and she told us Linda said she was going to visit a friend of hers that was getting married, and she had not been seen for six days.

Did she mention travelling to Bauchi?

No, she did not, but my last son, who was sent to Patty’s house to look for Linda, said some of her classmates said Linda informed them that she was going to Bauchi and she took all the books in her school locker. They thought she was going to visit her parents but they did not know she was travelling with anyone.

How did she get to Bauchi?

We have not seen our daughter to ask her how she got to Bauchi; if she came to Bauchi on her own or if someone came to Enugu to pick her. The previous times they came to Bauchi for holidays, we either brought them back to Bauchi or we hired a taxi. They have never travelled on their own.

Does she have a phone?

She does not have a phone.

What was your next step?

My husband went to that village where she was seen. He went to see a friend of his and told him he heard his daughter was in the village. He advised my husband to go home and return the next day, so he could investigate.

What was the result of the investigation?

He returned the next day and he told him that he did not see Linda. My husband, then went to the man who was said to be with my daughter, one Mallam Shagari. He did not see Shagari and his wife but saw the younger brother who said he saw Linda on Thursday but no longer knew her whereabouts.

Who is Mallam Shagari?

He is one of the agents of the Shari’ah Commission and lives at our former place of residence where my daughter was last seen. The commission said they have agents all over. That anyone that wants to be converted was usually brought to them through the agents.

Did your daughter have any previous contact with him?

No, I have never seen them before. I only see him with small children. I do not know how she contacted him.

When was the last time you saw her?

It was in August. I travelled to the East for a funeral and I saw them there. The incident happened in November but I do not know when she left Enugu.

How did you eventually find out she was at the Shari’ah Commission?

At around 1:30pm on Monday, a letter was brought to us informing us that our daughter has been converted to Islam and they wanted to see us at the commission. I called my husband on the phone and told him. The next day, my husband and I, alongside some relatives went there. We told them why we came and we were told our daughter’s name was no longer Linda but Aisha. One of the men that converted her was Mallam Shagari.

Did you request to see your daughter?

Yes, we did, but we were told that they would not bring her out. They said they can do that only when they decide and they would inform us about it. We tried to appeal to them but they also told us our daughter said she is 18.

How old is she?

She is 16.

Do you want Nigerians to fight for your daughter’s release?

Yes, I want them to fight for Linda’s release just as they fought for Ese Rita Oruru. That’s why we have cried out.

My daughter cried, never spoke a word — Father

Mr. Onah shares experience of his child’s kidnap with PETER OKEUGO

What efforts have you made to search for your daughter?

I went to look for her at Tarsha Durumi on Sunday but I did not find her. I went back on Monday and I was told she was seen along the road. Later that afternoon, a letter was brought to my wife’s shop. We were summoned by the Shari’ah Commission. I called our pastor and he advised me to come immediately. We went to to see our pastor, then proceeded to the commission but we were told to return the next day. We went back there the following day and they told us that we did not come when we were asked to, that we had to go home and return another day.

Did you go back?

We went the next day but nothing happened. We were advised to report the case to non-governmental organisation in Bauchi. We did and they wrote a letter to the National Human Rights Commission. But nothing has happened. The NGO was able to see and interview our daughter in the presence of the Sharia commission. They asked us to call the traditional ruler of the Igbos in Bauchi and the head of our church. The traditional ruler said he would not go there again because he already had a previous contact with them on a similar case of a 13-year-old girl but it was unsuccessful.

Have you seen your daughter?

Yes, I have. I saw her on the second Monday in February. She cried all through and never spoke to me. I was told that if they want her to go with me, they will release her but if they do not want, that she would not move an inch.

How well do you know Shagari?

We all lived in our former area.

Did you ask the lawyer how your daughter got to the commission?

Yes, she said it was Mallam Shagari.

Has your daughter ever expressed interest in Islam?

No, she has never told me anything.

Did you report to the police?

No, we did not report to the police because we had already been told where she was. That was the day the letter was brought to us.

Source: Punchng