“Bandits Who Killed My Husband Threatening To Kill Me If I Dont Marry Their Leader” – Plateau Widow Cries Out For Help

A young widow in Plateau State has raised the alarm over persistent death threats allegedly issued by terrorists who killed her husband and are now pressuring her to marry one of their leaders or risk being murdered alongside her children.

The woman, who identified herself simply as Nanbam, disclosed her ordeal on Friday during an interview with the international non-governmental organisation, Equipping the Persecuted. She said her husband was among 40 residents killed during a brutal attack on Mushere community in Bokkos Local Government Area in August.

According to Nanbam, the assailants stormed the village, surrounded residents and carried out mass killings. She alleged that her husband was gruesomely murdered, claiming that his attackers mutilated his body before disposing of it in a nearby pond.

She further revealed that shortly after the attack, the same group began contacting her, insisting that their leader wanted to marry her. Nanbam said the calls started on the very day her husband was killed, allegedly made using her late husband’s phone number.

“They told me their leader wanted to marry me,” she said, adding that she rejected the proposal outright, stating she would never marry someone responsible for killing her husband and the father of her children.

Nanbam alleged that since then, the threats have intensified, with the callers warning that she and her three children would be killed if she continued to refuse the marriage and decline conversion to Islam. She said the callers frequently use different phone numbers, making it difficult to block or trace them.

In a bid to escape the threats, the widow said she relocated to her hometown in Mangu Local Government Area. Despite changing her SIM card on the advice of family members, she said the calls resumed weeks later, with the callers claiming they had tracked her location and threatening to attack not only her but also her children and extended family members.

She described her situation as desperate, noting that she is still grieving her husband while struggling to raise her children alone amid constant fear for their lives.

Nanbam also alleged that her attempt to seek help from the police yielded no meaningful response. She claimed officers told her the callers could not be traced due to the use of multiple phone numbers and allegedly asked her to provide money to support tracking efforts, a request she said she could not afford.

“I don’t know where to run to anymore,”she lamented, appealing for urgent help and protection as she fears that her life and those of her children remain in imminent danger.