Reverend George Ojih’s widow, Veronica Ojih spoke on how Boko Haram’s insurgents behead­ed her husband for refusing to renounce Christianity.

As the then pastor in charge of Good News Evangelical Ministry, Maiduguri, he was captured by the sect and tortured to death.

Excerpts…

How has life been since you lost your husband in the hands of the Is­lamist sect?

This month will make it five years since they killed my husband from Benue State, Reverend George Ojih, my hero who stood gallantly for Jesus Christ despite the levels of suffering he was subjected to. He was captured and taken to the lead­er of the sect then, late Mohammed Yusuf. He was asked to receive Islam, which he refused and he was instantly beheaded in a most gruesome manner. After his death, it was not that easy staying back in the North with the trauma of losing my hus­band and all that. But I want to thank God for Reverend Ladi Thompson who heard our cry and came to our rescue. He made plans to relocate down to Lagos where we are now and that alone was a way of help­ing us to overcome that shock and trauma. Coming down to Lagos really helped us to stabilise because we were living in fear. Even my kids were living in fear. So, coming down to Lagos helped us to overcome the initial shock and trauma of losing our breadwinner and daddy. That is why we are trying to ensure that the women whose daughters were kidnapped in Chibok are given professional help. This is to help them overcome the trauma because I have been in their situation be­fore. You can imagine waiting for your daughter to come back and you are not getting any sign that she is coming. We really need professional help to stabilise mothers of these Chibok girls. They need to be told that there is still reason to live.

How did you feel the first time you heard that the Islamist sect has beheaded your husband?

It was so painful and sad. My conso­lation has been the way he died. Though painful, I thank God for his courage. De­spite the gunshots and torture, he stood his ground and held on to Jesus Christ who he preached about when he was alive. He died a martyr. It was not easy when I heard about his death and the way he was killed but what kept me and the children going is that my husband died well.

What is the impact of the incident on your children? How do they feel when they remember their father and the circumstances under which he died?

I was six months pregnant when they killed my husband and made me a widow. It is not easy watching my daughter; the small girl I was carrying inside me will be five years in October and you once hear her telling her friends that they have fa­thers but that she has none. When they say such thing, I feel bad. My first daughter is over nine years. She still remembers when her dad used to drop her and pick her up in her school. She still remembers that but my son was barely three years when his father was killed. He cannot really say much about his father but my daughter can still remember what they used to do together. And when we sit together, they used to ask me a lot of questions about their dad. You have to explain to them the circumstances of the death of their father over and over. They ask all manner of questions and I try as much as possible not to cry when explaining to them what happened.

Few weeks ago, we were at the din­ning table and my daughter that used to be close to the dad started crying and I asked her to talk to me. I told her that we were about to eat and she wanted to spoil the mood that evening. I asked her ‘why are you doing this now that we want to eat’. She said that the daddy would have been sitting on a particular seat on the dinning table. I sat with them to encour­age them to eat, but when I went to my room, I cried.

What do you remember your hus­band for?

I remember my husband for his love for Jesus Christ. He was so strict when it comes to the things of God. I remem­ber him also for his passion to win souls through evangelism. He got the ground to evangelise when he was captured and taken to the camp of the sect leader, Mo­hammed Yusuf. When he was in the camp with them, he preached Christ to the sect members including the leader, Moham­med Yusuf. It was preaching Christ to them that angered Mohammed Yusuf and he ordered that he should be killed. We remember him for everything especially his love for Christ. I tell people that I am yet to see his kind. His love for Christ is one thing I will forever remember him for. When it comes to the issue of Jesus Christ, he did not compromise.

With what is happening in the North now, how do you feel?

I feel so terrible because nothing is being done about the situation. Every day, you hear of bomb blast, kidnapping, killings and all that and nothing is being done about it. It seems there is no end to all this and it is painful because more wid­ows and orphans are being made. This is not where you want anybody to fall into. It is unfortunate. If people die naturally, you can understand, but not in the man­ner people are dying now in Nigeria. I feel it is something we can put an end to if we are really committed to it. But the question is, what is stopping Nigeria from stopping the killings? It is a big question we must all answer.

Do you think there would ever be an end to the Boko Haram insur­gency in the North?

Hopefully, yes. I hope in God and I be­lieve strongly that there would be an end to it.

How have you been coping since you lost your husband whom you say is your hero?

At present, I do souvenir packs for peo­ple organizing parties and events. Before, I was working with one restaurant where I was the purchasing head and I was buying their things. I have been surviving here in Lagos and I thank God.

How did you get money to take off when you came to Lagos?

It was with the help of Reverend Ladi Thompson who helped us to relocate to Lagos that I was able to establish myself.

Since the death of your husband, how close are you to God?

The love for God has increased so much in our lives since my husband died. We fully depend on God because we can­not do anything without Him.

– Courtesy: The Sun