Boko Haram: 'Na for newspaper I hear say militant group don kill my pikin'

30 years old Obinna Onuoha bin get big plans to start family and serve e kontri well-well as soldier before e die on 21 July 2018.

Obinna wey join di Nigerian Army for 2011 be one of di soldiers wey die inside Boko Haram attack for Borno State, North-East Nigeria for July.

For Obinna papa, di pain im pikin death cause na serious tin as e be im first son and e never too tey wey e marry.

E tell BBC Pidgin say di last time e hear from e pikin na wen e call am to tell am say e dey go Bauchi State for Army Day celebration.

"I first read inside Newspaper say 25 soldiers dey miss and since I get sometin dia my bodi start to dey do me somehow."

"I call di wife to ask if she don hear from am at first she say yes she first hear say dem don reach, wen I start to dey see all dis tins, anoda report wey Army deny say soldiers dey miss e begin worry me so I call again.

"She come tell me say ah, say somebodi call her say e injure, e dey hospital, she say e call her say make she start to dey come Maiduguri.

"Wen she reach dia dem first say she no fit go inside say no be visiting day. She wait till Monday morning and I tell am say if she reach dia make she give am phone to tok to me. Di next tin I hear na cry.

"Dem cari her go di bed e bin dey, show her im bodi for mortuary say e die on Saturday 21 July, na dia she lose control."

Papa Onuoha tok say im and im son bin don discuss say make e comot soldier work but e get interest and dem never fit agree on di best way forward before di tragedy happun.

"I participate for di civil war, I sabi how e dey go. We discuss am well-well because who go take care of me at dis my age?" Na so im tok.

'Dem no try'

According to papa Onuoha, e travel go Badagry wia e spend almost two weeks before dem send signal give dem to tell dem wen burial go happun.

"I dey dia barracks for Badagry for like 9 days now afta I come from Aba. Di CO don confam say e happun but since den we dey wait for signal and e never come."

Di family finally get signal say di burial go happun for 13 August. But as dem travel go Maiduguri, na drama dem see.

"Dem tell us say we no go fit see di bodi dem," one of di family member tell BBC Pidgin.

But las las afta di family dem protest, dem finally allow dem to see di bodi dem.

Afta di burial end, dem give di family dem one Nigeria flag, N30,000 inside envelope and death certificate wey dem go need to process and collect oda entitlement.

Army dey fight Boko Haram

Nigerian goment say dem don make progress ontop di fight against Boko Haram but di kill-kill pipo still dey cause palava for di kontri.

Soldiers too dey die ontop dia hand. For di last two months alone, tori about at least three different attack ontop soldiers dem for di north-east don come out.

Nigerian army no dey too open mouth to tok about dia men wey die for combat, dem no confam di attack wey kill Obinna Onuoha.

BBC Pidgin try reach Nigerian Army to hear dia side ontop di mata, but dem no answer us.