The confident smile on Saminu Wakili’s face and his immaculate attire—white shirt, black suit, robe, and wig—paint the picture of a young lawyer who had a smooth academic journey and now enjoys a life of ease. But behind that smile lies a story of unimaginable struggle and resilience.
Wakili hails from Gwoza in Borno State, a region ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency. As a child, his life was abruptly disrupted when violent attacks swept through his hometown, leaving a trail of destruction, death, and displacement. Like countless others, Wakili and his parents were forced to flee, losing their home and belongings. With nothing left, they crossed the border into Cameroon in search of safety and survival.
The Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009 as a violent resistance to Western education, has devastated communities in Nigeria’s North-East. According to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), as of 2021, the crisis had affected over 10 million people, resulted in 20,000 to 30,000 deaths, and displaced more than two million individuals—most from Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.
In 2014, then-President Goodluck Jonathan appealed to global leaders at the EU-AU Summit on Peace and Security in Brussels to help Nigeria identify and hold accountable the sponsors of Boko Haram. He stressed that without addressing insecurity, development in Africa would remain a distant dream, stating, “Peace and development are two sides of the same coin.”
A Fight to Stay Alive
Now a newly called barrister of the Nigerian Bar, Wakili never imagined he would one day become a lawyer. Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, he recalled the harrowing events of 2013 when he and other victims fled Gwoza, focused only on surviving.
“At that time, the only thought on my mind was not to die,” Wakili recounted.
On Wednesday, Wakili stood among five internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Borno who were inducted into the legal profession as solicitors of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Just months earlier, five others from the same displaced community had graduated as medical doctors, and over 400 more are currently pursuing university degrees across various professional fields.
Education Against the Odds
Folorunsho, a key figure behind the educational initiative for the IDPs, reflected on the difficult journey. “Feeding, clothing, and providing materials for the children was incredibly challenging,” he said. “Over time, we faced threats, false accusations, and negative publicity.”
He added, “But we decided that our best response would be to let the children’s success speak for us. When they become doctors and lawyers, the world will see that we chose the right path.”
Despite moments of doubt, the team remained committed. “There were times we questioned ourselves, wondering if we should stop. But every time we saw the children’s smiles and their academic results, we knew we had to continue,” Folorunsho said.
With five new lawyers, five medical doctors, and hundreds more on the path to success, the journey of Saminu Wakili and his peers is a powerful testament to resilience, hope, and the transformative power of education—even in the face of profound adversity.
