Jonathan BADAMOSI is 12 years old. An Adara boy from Ungwan Gamu in Kajuru Local Government of Kaduna State.

On March 11, 2019, what was supposed to be a beautiful Monday morning turned dark when armed Herdsmen attacked Ungwan Gamu.

Jonathan’s mother hurriedly woke them at about 6am to run for safety. She woke up to the sounds of gun shots and harrowing cries, and immediately knew what was happening as there had been series of attacks on Adara communities.

Jonathan was running alongside his 5 year old sister, Muradi (meaning ‘my desire’) when he was shot in his right elbow. He got up, backed his sister and continued to run when another bullet hit him in his stomach and came out through his back. He kept running, holding his sister close, till he got to a bush path and walked about 6KM till he got to Kutura.

He was asked how he was able to still keep holding his sister, and he said, “because I didn’t want my sister to die”.

This little boy refused to yield to the terrorists’ knife. The heavily armed men fired shots and took aim directly at this little innocent child. Yet, he braved it and refused to drop his little sister on account of the pains. Neither the gun shots nor the blood gushing out of his wounded body would make him abandon his sister. He bore his pains and despite the bullets on his fragile body, he managed to get both his sister and himself to safety. Ordinarily, the sound of the gun and the pains from his wounds would’ve made him not to think of the life of his sister.

He got to Kutura Village where he met people who helped him on a bike to a hospital at Maraban Kajuru. At that time, his mother had walked about 6 hours to Maraban Kajuru. She was tired and sitting on the ground when she raised her head to see what she thought was the lifeless body of her son passing on a motorcycle. She asked and was told 5 year old Muradi was alive, before she got to the hospital to see Jonathan was alive as well and was being treated for gun shot wounds at Nasara Health Clinic at Maraban Kajuru.

Jonathan’s family have gone back to their village in Ungwan Gamo. Since their lives were disrupted on that Monday morning, the children have not been able to go to school. The family of 7 are squatting in a room and parlor mud house that someone graciously gave them, as their house was completely razed down.

In a sane society, Jonathan would be given a hero’s medal.

In a sane society, the local or State government, at the very least, would have cared to train Jonathan in a vocational school or make sure his fees are paid to attend school.

Right now, Jonathan is in the village, not attending school, with his parents scared to go to the farm for fear of being attacked or kidnapped.

This is the story of thousands of Adara families in Kajuru Local government alone. Hundreds of such stories in other Southern Kaduna communities are untold.

Jonathan is soft spoken and it’s amazing how he was able to carry out such a courageous act. He says he wants to go to school and achieve his dream to help his family in future.