The wife of Pastor Mimang Lekyil, who was killed alongside seven others by suspected Fulani militias in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, has recounted the harrowing moments the attackers invaded their home, deliberately singling out her husband.
At the time of the attack, Pastor Lekyil led the Local Church Council (LCC) of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Kwakas-Mushere, Bokkos. He was shot dead inside the pastorium, while his wife sustained severe injuries, including shattered legs.
In a video interview shared on social media on Thursday by conflict journalist Masara Kim Usman, Mrs. Lekyil said the assailants specifically asked for her husband, showing that the killing was premeditated.
She narrated the terrifying ordeal:
“On the day my husband was killed, my sister and her son were visiting us. After praying that night and as we were about to sleep, my husband went into the bathroom. Suddenly, some Fulani boys, very young and all armed, burst into the house. There were about five or six of them,” she said.
Mrs. Lekyil explained how her husband was deliberately targeted:
“I whispered to my husband to come inside the room. He asked me what had happened, and I told him that Fulani boys had entered the house. As he followed me, they saw him coming out of the bathroom and called, ‘Baba, ka zo’ (‘Baba, come here’), insisting he go with them into the room. I thought they wanted to kidnap him, but then they started shooting.”
She added: “They closed the door and continued spraying bullets while ordering us to come out. I kept hoping that the vigilante group or the soldiers nearby would come to our aid, but no one did. The attackers shot all around the room, including at the doors. I didn’t even realize my husband had been killed until it was over. They also shot me, shattering my leg, and after they left, they kidnapped my sister.”
The widow’s account highlights the calculated nature of the attack and the ongoing security challenges faced by communities in Bokkos LGA.
