The Forgotten Victims Of Violent Crimes: what happens after survivors return home.
“Welcome back!” “Finally, you are here!” “Glory be to God!” are the words the neighbours and the people will be exclaiming. They forget the original question they were supposed to ask. They forget to ask, “How was the experience?” Instead of asking, “Hope you are fine?” “How was it?” they are overwhelmed by the joy of having them back, not thinking about the stark physiological and psychological effects the trauma had on them.
Immediately they have them back, they rejoice. A day, two days, three days—everything dies down. What happens after the deadline disappears? The day the deadline disappears, the day people stop asking after them, the day they stop receiving condolences, sympathy, and care from people the day they are being forgotten. This is the time for their suffering to begin. They are haunted by their experiences through nightmares and hallucinations, which lead to trauma and have a great effect on their mental health. After the survivors return home, after they are freed from captivity, they begin to reminisce about their past experiences in the hands of their violators, thereby leading to great detriment to their mental and physical health.
For instance, there was an occurrence in June where some students and teachers were kidnapped.
On Friday, 15 May 2026, armed men attacked three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, around the Ogbomoso axis. The affected schools included Community High School in Ahoro-Esinele, Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, and L.A. Primary School in Esiele.
Reports identified 39 pupils and students and seven teachers as abducted. A teacher was killed during the ordeal. The victims remained in captivity for several weeks while security agencies pursued rescue operations. On 10 July 2026, the Nigerian government announced that the abducted pupils, students, and teachers had been rescued through a coordinated security operation. About more than one month later, the students and teachers were in the bush, beaten by the sun and exposed to harsh weather conditions, alongside some children, which ranged from the ages of 0–6. Subsequently, it was reported that a two-year-old child died due to the harsh weather conditions.
They were subjected to suffering, with no one to cater for them and without any hope of their returning back until the Nigerian government was forced to take action after the teachers pleaded in a viral video on Facebook uploaded by the bandits.
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Teachers pleaded in a viral video on Facebook uploaded by the bandits. After they were released, the people were happy to have them back, but they could not bring back the dead teacher and student. This shows the extent to which violent crimes cause damage to human lives.
The governor of Oyo State acknowledged the incident. However, I could not verify the claim that the governor rewarded the students and teachers, so that statement should not be presented as an established fact.
Freedom does not automatically erase trauma
The fact that they are free from captivity does not mean they are free from suffering. The violent crime they suffered was the beginning of their ordeal. The children, some as young as 0–6 years old, were subjected to suffering, harsh weather conditions, and unfavourable circumstances. They were too young to experience violent crime. Under the rain, they got wet; under the sun, they were scorched by it.
The fact that the children regained their freedom does not mean that it can automatically erase trauma. No, because, as young as the children were, the crime could affect their mental health and the way they relate to others. The trauma could cause some of the children to remain silent about their experiences.
The number of these violent crimes in Nigeria reveals a problem much larger than an individual case. Violent crimes such as kidnapping armed banditry rampant in Nigeria and the whole world at large. The rate of violent crimes is increasing every day and needs urgent attention to curb it. In some parts of Nigeria, violent crime has been a global issue, but it needs close attention in Nigeria to curb it and ensure that it is fully eradicated.
When the victims return, the family becomes a great part of their recovery. As they would say, the struggle begins to break loose from the chains of bad memories that haunt them. Due to the awful experience, they become desolate and devastated due to the bad occurrences, which gradually lead to trauma and later take a toll on their mental wellness. The family, being a supportive one, tends to attend to the survivor and take a great part in ensuring the quick recovery of the victims. But in a case where some families are wicked and do not want to get attached to a traumatised person, I could vividly remember a novel I read, The Redemption Road by Elma Shaw. Tenneh was outrageously rejected by her mother because she was a victim of violent crime (rape), which led to her slow recovery.
The second struggle is returning to a community that has already moved on. They have missed a lot of things that happened. The people have already moved on with their lives while the victims are still there, trying to gather the shattered pieces and fit them back into the society that has already moved on. Violent crime crushes the survivors and already sculptured ambitions into broken and shattered pieces. To get back to the community that has already moved on is one of the great difficulties they face, even after getting free from the perpetrators of evil.
The question we should no longer ignore is: How can we curb violent crime in Nigeria? It is a pressing question that needs urgent attention. We need to start creating awareness, as indifference to others' plight is not an option. It is our neighbour’s turn today; it might be ours tomorrow. Therefore, we all need to put our best effort into curbing violent crime and its implications for a better Nigeria.
