We all remember it. The images of the 276 young school girls kidnapped in Nigeria broadcast to western media looking terrified, exhausted and lost in 2014. The world had a thousand questions, but two words kept popping up; Boko Haram. So the world then asked, who was this?

Boko Haram is a Nigerian Islamic militia group seeking to punish those who identify with western standards either politically or socially, with the belief this is “haram” (forbidden). They seek to overthrow the Nigerian government with the purpose of becoming an Islamic state, using bombings, assassinations and abductions as a means of tactic. Voting in elections, the wearing of shirts and pants or receiving secular education is considered taboo.

The group has recently returned to headlines after keeping fairly low key the past few years, with approximately 75 members killed this week across Nigeria and in the southeast Sahel state of Niger. The troops of Niger have been carrying out aggressive attacks against the group to fight back against the killing of more than 36, 000 civilians and displacement of almost 2 million Nigerians since 2009.

The violence has waged between the borders of Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon, with the town of Diffa caught in the firing line, also home to 120, 000 Nigerian refugees and 110, 000 displaced from Niger according to the United Nations.

On May 14 (just overnight), 72 hostages were rescued from Boko Haram by the Nigerian army. Among the group were mostly women and children rescued in the Borno State, with at least 18 members of the extremist group killed in the operation.

Many of the lucky victims that were found following the kidnapping in 2014 known as the “Chibok girls” recall the harrowing ordeal, and the incredible life they have made for themselves since the traumatic events. Patience Bulus and Esther Usman recall being marched out of their dorm at gunpoint in darkness, and being hoarded into a truck. Patience had lost her grip of Esther amongst the young students in the truck, and made the incredible decision to jump out. The truck was on its way to the Sambisa forest.

Patience and 56 other girls were lucky to escape shortly after the kidnapping, with many grabbing onto tree branches, twisting their ankles after jumping out of the truck, or running off into the forest during a bathroom break, much to the panic of the armed militants. Many of these victims then faced a 24 hour trek to return to their village. On the six year anniversary, 112 girls still remain missing, undoubtedly many are feared dead.

Boko Haram had released footage of the girls broadcast around the world, which began the international #BringBackOurGirls campaign, enforced by then US First Lady Michelle Obama. Given the meaning of the group translates to “Western education is forbidden”, Boko Haram had frequently targeted schools in a region where less than half of girls attend primary school.

Since 2014, Patience accepted an opportunity to study in the United States. She was able to reconnect with Esther, and the women are to seek a career in business, medicine or human rights law. Of the girls that were not so lucky, they reportedly have been subjected to forced marriages, enslavement and starvation by the group. The Nigerian Government were able to negotiate to have 21 girls released in exchange for a sum, and were extremely malnourished upon release into a hospital. They had explained that they were given a choice to convert to Islam and marry, or become slaves; the majority chose slavery.

In 2017, it was alleged that 100 teenagers were hurriedly ushered through the airport to be sent to Yula, explaining they were “the Chibok girls”. They were to be sent to the AUA campus in Yola, which educates female students. Despite the parties held in dorms, these women were faced with the threat of death if they were to ever be educated again, with many still having bullets lodged in their bodies. The trauma to rebuild trust with those around them was also a major obstacle, and the school relies on Government funding and private donations.

It has certainly not been an easy transition however. Classes in Borno were cancelled for two years, 500 schools have been destroyed, 800 were destroyed and over 2, 000 teachers have been killed. The fight for education remains a dangerous battle, a luxury and a freedom. It has undoubtedly had a crippling effect on the education system, with many families too scared to send their children to western schools.

In attempts to achieve political goals to create a caliphate, the group continues to initiate attacks on police stations, government buildings, and has established Muslim complexes amongst certain areas with Mosques and Muslim only schools. After its emergence in 2002, the United States designated it as a terrorist group in 2013, fearing its links to al- Qaeda.  

For those who fall victim to the trauma Boko Haram inflicts, many must continue to live with the stigma amongst their community. For Zara, a former child bride rescued by soldiers following her kidnapping by the group, and chose to marry over slavery when given the choice by militants. The Nigerian soldiers returned her to her family, where she discovered she was pregnant. Given she was forced to convert to Islam and returned to her Christian community, they voted to keep the child, however Zara continues to be subjected to insults due to her new religion, too scared to leave her home. She fears she will always be referred to as Boko Haram’s wife and a criminal, and it was Gods will when her baby boy was eventually killed by a snake.

Stories like Zara’s are common, with victims of Boko Haram affected well beyond their release, and many feel life was easier in captivity. She believes change amongst community views and a need for acceptance from families is critical in overcoming the trauma inflicted by the group, stating "you are creating a more dangerous thing than Boko Haram if you grow up not welcomed by society and with nobody wanting to help you”.

For now, violence continues amongst Chad, and the suicide bombings continue, with the use of children and women. The fight against Boko Haram continues to rage, with militants held in Chad jail cells found asphyxiated or given lethal substances in retaliation.