Berkeley Political Science grad student Dinah Lawan recalls her escape from Boko Haram

Dinah Lawan

Photo courtesy of Dinah Lawan

Dinah Lawan

Photo courtesy of Dinah Lawan

October 28, 2024

For UC Berkeley Political Science graduate student Dinah Lawan, April 14, 2014, was a night she will never forget. Lawan went through the terrifying ordeal of being a kidnapping victim of Boko Haram, and later escaped to pursue higher education in the U.S.

Today, as she works towards her doctorate to help those suffering in conflict zones, Lawan recalls how the kidnapping changed her life forever.

Soldiers Arrived
Lawan, who was 15 years old and in her final year of high school at the time, spent that evening studying for a chemistry exam in the town of Chibok, Nigeria. She slept outside her dorm with her classmates to escape the heat. 

A few hours later, gunshots shattered the quiet night. Lawan and her classmates didn’t know where the shots were coming from, but assuming it was a robbery in town, they went back to their dorm rooms and waited for their bodyguard to arrive.

Minutes later, she said a group of soldiers arrived, instructing the girls to stay calm and gather in one of the dorms. It was only when they started firing shotguns into the air that the students realized they weren’t there to protect them. 

They were Boko Haram, an Islamist jihadist organization based in Nigeria that kidnaps and kills students pursuing secular education. Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of civilians and displaced millions from their homes, carrying out massacres and abductions in an effort to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria.

“In that moment, I felt like my soul had left my body,” Lawan said. “I convinced myself I was dreaming, trying to escape from the horror around me.”

Shooting and Burning
The soldiers burned their dorms, classrooms, stores, administrative offices and staff quarters. Outside, they debated what to do with the students, with some suggesting they shoot them and leave. Several soldiers surrounded the students, guns ready to fire. The students laid on the ground, crying and praying for mercy, she said, as Boko Haram discussed their fate.

After several minutes, the soldiers lowered their guns, instead instructing the girls to follow them to a line of cars hidden outside, she said. They ordered the students to get in the cars if they wanted to live. Once all of the students were forced into the cars, Boko Haram soldiers began to drive through the Sambisa Forest in northeast Nigeria.

“As the car started moving, I looked back toward my village, silently saying goodbye to my parents and siblings, knowing they had no idea their daughter was leaving forever without a proper farewell,” she said. “That’s when I burst into tears, wishing I could have said even a few words to them, wishing they knew I was leaving forever.”

Escaping her Kidnappers
Boko Haram had made it clear they would shoot anyone who tried to escape, she said. However, after an hour of driving through the forest, Lawan began imagining a life where she would never see her family again. At that moment, she began thinking about escape.

Lawan decided that she would jump out of the truck and run through the forest to escape. She tried to convince others, including her friend, to follow her, but many were overwhelmed by the fear of being killed. 

After several attempts to gather the courage, Lawan moved to the edge of the truck and waited for the right moment. She jumped, immediately pressing herself against the ground so the line of vehicles wouldn’t notice her. Several of her classmates followed. 

Once the sound of vehicles faded, those who managed to escape split into groups and ran through the forest, preferring to face dangerous animals over their captors. They followed the smoke from their burning school to find their way home. 

Approximately 276 students were kidnapped that night. Of the 20 girls kidnapped from her village, only three escaped–including her. In the months that followed, Lawan felt that she had become a living reminder of what her community had lost. Trying to resume a normal life was traumatizing. 

The thought of returning to school was unbearable, but reminding herself that Boko Haram had targeted them for pursuing education made Lawan feel that by returning to school, she could reclaim the power they tried to steal from her.

“In a community where young girls are discriminated against because of their gender, where fathers refuse to pay school fees for their daughters because they see no value in them, where mothers struggle to sponsor their daughters, and where men are always chosen over women, why would I listen to them?” Lawan asked.

She spent three more years in high school in the town of Jos, in northern Nigeria, before applying for a scholarship at the University of Notre Dame and moving to the U.S. for college. She decided to continue her education not just for herself, but also for her classmates who have yet to be reunited with their families, and for the entire Chibok community. 

Pursuing Higher Education
After completing her B.A. in political science and peace studies from the University of Notre Dame, Lawan earned her master’s degree in political science from UC Berkeley, where she is currently pursuing her Ph.D. Witnessing the consequences of political instability firsthand led her to Berkeley Political Science, where she hopes to contribute to academic discussions and develop real-world solutions.

“My goal as a graduate student at UC Berkeley is to build the skills, knowledge and tools I need to study violence beyond just my community,” Lawan said. “I am deeply grateful and feel incredibly fortunate to be part of this community.”

Political Science Chair Scott Straus, who is Lawan’s academic advisor, described her as a model of enthusiasm, organization and commitment. 

I am a huge admirer of Dinah,” Straus said. “Given all that she and her loved ones have experienced, she is an inspiration and role model, someone who through her perseverance and intelligence, seeks to craft research that will help us understand and protect people from real-world atrocity.”

Lawan recently won the best paper award at the West African Research Association’s West Coast Regional Conference for research that focused on her community of Chibok. Her paper, “Micro-level Non-Military Mechanisms of Community Self-Defense: Evidence from Chibok,” explored how civilians protect themselves against Boko Haram’s violence, aiming to understand how civilians worldwide can defend themselves when caught in political violence.

“Building on her own experiences but also from what her family and friends have done recently, she focused attention on how villagers reduce sound, gather surreptitiously, and restrict movements all to reduce attacks by Boko Haram,” said Straus. “She has insights from her experience that she has woven into a terrific study—one with practical implications.”

After Lawan graduates in 2028, she hopes to become an expert in political science, with a focus on conflict and violence studies. Her goal is to contribute to academia and policy development to protect vulnerable populations in conflict-affected regions. 

“As someone who has personally experienced the impact of violence and conflict, my life mission is to advocate for those who are often left voiceless in the midst of war,” she said. “Ultimately, I see my career as a pathway to creating safer, more resilient communities while giving a voice to those who are most affected by conflict.”

Today, Lawan is grateful to have an opportunity to pursue her goals. As she continues to heal, Lawan hopes others can learn from her story of the brutality she and her classmates experienced at the hands of Boko Haram.

“Do not let your traumatic experiences shape your future or decide who you become,” she said. “It’s okay to feel different, to let these events break you for a while, but don’t stay broken forever.”