"Our story is real. Our pain is real. Our kidnapping was not fake" Chibok kidnap survivor speaks on 12th anniversary of their abduction

Rebecca Mallum, a survivor of the Chibok school kidnapping in 2014, has remembered her colleagues on the 12th anniversary of their abduction. 

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She took to Facebook today, April 14, to reflect on life before, during, and after the kidnap ordeal. 

She also disputed claims from people stating that the Chibok kidnapping was propaganda to discredit the goodluck Jonathan government.  She stated that their pain and experience was real, not propaganda as assumed by some. 
 

She wrote: “Today, 14th April, is a date that will forever remain carved in my heart. 

“It is the day my life changed in a way I never imagined. A day I went from being a young girl with dreams, laughter, and hope… to someone forced into a dark journey I would never have chosen. 

“There are memories I still struggle to speak about. 

“There are nights I still remember with pain I cannot fully explain. 

“And there are moments that only God helped me survive. 

“I survived, but many of my sisters did not. Some we lost forever. Some are still out there, waiting… hoping… fighting to come home. 

“And to the world, I say this with all the strength in me: Our story is real. Our pain is real. Our kidnapping was not fake. We lived it. We felt it. We are still healing from it. 

“I carry my sisters in my heart every single day. 

“But in all of it, I am here today—standing, breathing, and still holding on to hope. Not by my strength, but by God’s grace. 

“I speak not just for myself, but for all my sisters whose voices are still silent, and for those who never made it back home.

“I thank everyone who has remembered us, prayed for us, and stood with us since that painful night. Your love has given many of us strength to keep going. 

“As I share my story, I pray it brings healing, awareness, and a reminder that even in the darkest moments, light can still be found. 

“Thank you for listening… and please, never stop remembering us.” 
 

Hours earlier, she wrote on Facebook: “Few more hours to 14th April… The day my life was divided into before and after. 

“Before that night, I was just a girl with dreams. 

“After that night, I became a girl fighting to survive. 

“It was the day fear found me. The day my voice was silenced. The day I was taken away from everything I knew and loved. 

“I remember the tears… the confusion… the pain. 

“I remember calling out in my heart, hoping someone would hear me. 

“That night left a mark on my soul that time can never erase 

“Tomorrow, I will open my heart a little more…” 
 

Rebecca’s Facebook page is dedicated to remembering victims of kidnappings and insecurity in Northern Nigeria. She also writes about her experience as a survivor. 
 

See more below.