On Being a Girl in Islam > Chibok survivor's horror story

 

Nigeria: Former Boko Haram captive recounts life as a sex slave

Boko Haram sex slave describes horror of her months-long abduction, being gang-raped and strapped to a bomb before incredible escape

by Isabella Machin, Daily Mail, August 30, 2026:

It seemed like an ordinary day for 16-year-old Hannah – instead it marked the start of a months-long nightmare that would see her abducted, gang-raped and held captive as a sex slave.

Yet even worse was still to come – her Boko Haram captors would strap a bomb to her body and ordered her to carry out a suicide attack.

Remarkably, in a twist of fate that sounds more like a Hollywood script than real life, Hannah (not her real name) managed to escape. Now, she has chosen to tell the Daily Mail her extraordinary story of survival.

In November 2013, Hannah’s life was turned upside down when Boko Haram militants stormed her village in Chibok, north-east Nigeria.

In a bid to escape, she jumped into the first car that was willing to take her as a passenger, ignoring the cautionary shakes of the heads of fellow villagers.

She had unknowingly walked straight into the hands of the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram, who had wreaked terror on her country for decades. Before Hannah realised, her hands were quickly tied and her eyes blindfolded as she was driven into the African bush.

At their camp, she and other women were auctioned off to Boko Haram militants to be ‘married’. Hannah defiantly refused to wed her new ‘owner’ and was thrown into a makeshift cell built from thorn-covered branches as punishment.

‘There was another girl with me. We were told marriage is our freedom,’ she recalled. ‘If we agreed to marry, then we could leave. If not, we would stay in the cell.’… 

After being starved and without water for three days, Hannah eventually followed the advice of an elderly woman she now credits with saving her life: do as the fighters say, keep the peace and wait for an opportunity to escape.

The women were eventually punished with nine lashes from a cane for their defiance before being separated, never to see each other again. 

While held captive for two more days, Hannah's fear further grew when the elderly woman returned, visibly terrified.   

'I had no idea what they said to her, but the woman came back and told me that I should just lie down and rest,' she described.

'I saw the woman was telling me one thing but she was full of fear. I knew something was wrong in the woman's reaction, but she was telling me everything is okay. I should just rest.'

Hannah eventually succumbed to sleep, only to be awoken by a man claiming to be her husband. He then tried to rape her.

She struggled against his advances and subsequent beatings, screaming and shouting for help. He then 'called the others' and returned with five other men.

'They started shouting, "So you're stubborn. You think you are better than all those other women who have been married?",' Hannah said.

A member of Boko Haram stands with the believed Chibok girls in a video released in August 2016

'I continued to argue and then I realised I recognised one of the men, he was from my village.

'He was trying to get the men to calm down, but the other men were saying "she is going to teach the other women to rebel. So let's just do what we want with her."

'They got rope and tied me down. The man I knew left the room and the other men raped me.'

Hannah was left to the care of the elderly woman who washed and covered her 'beaten body'.

'I am forever grateful to the woman. If there is something I could give her, I would. There were other women but they didn't look after me.'

Two days later, Hannah's final punishment arrived. 

Accused of being stubborn, she was told she was being taken to war. 'They strapped a bomb to me and said we were going to another village,' Hannah recalled.

The horrifying truth soon dawned on her. 'I was going to be a suicide bomber.'

Forced to walk towards what she believed would be her final moments, Hannah trudged on in terror. Then she noticed a familiar face.

The man from her village was following just behind. 'He was trying to save me,' Hannah said.

The previous leader of Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau was pictured in October 2014, before his death in 2021

As the pair moved further from the camp, he made his move. 'He caught up with us and told me to turn my face away because he didn't want me to see what was about to happen.'

Moments later, he killed the militant assigned to guard her.

Then, with Hannah still in shock, he cut the bomb from her body and freed her from her suicide mission. 

In the confusion that followed, the man who had saved her life vanished. Hannah never learned his name, never discovered what became of him and, more than a decade later, still has no way of thanking the stranger who risked everything to save her.

But while his extraordinary act changed the course of her life, the suffering inflicted on Hannah's family by Boko Haram was far from over.

In an event that would send tremors across the world, Hannah's younger sister was kidnapped during Boko Haram's infamous raid on a school in Chibok in April 2014.

She was among the 276 schoolgirls seized in an abduction that horrified the world and sparked the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

While many of the girls have since returned, Hannah's sister remains missing more than a decade later.

The family's suffering deepened when Hannah's father died in August 2014, never knowing the full extent of the horror that had engulfed those he loved.

Determined to honour his final wish, Hannah and her mother returned to their village to scatter his ashes. But even then, there was no peace.

Boko Haram attacked – torching the community and plunging it back into chaos.

As terrified residents fled for their lives, Hannah's mother reached breaking point.

'My mother was told to run, but she said there was nothing left to run from,' Hannah recalled.

'She said: "You have abducted two of my daughters. One is back. My husband is dead. You burned my house. Honestly, if you want to kill me now, then do it, because there is nothing left."'

Around them, the village was being torn apart. Men fled to avoid being hunted down, while women were left behind to bury the dead.

Yet despite everything she has endured, Hannah refuses to let her story end in despair.

She now campaigns for greater awareness of the suffering faced by women and children in Nigeria, while clinging to a hope many in her position would struggle to find.

'People have suffered. They are still suffering,' she said. 'But I want my story to be told so that theirs can be told too.'

And amid the devastation, one dream survives: to become a doctor and help others rebuild lives shattered by the same violence that nearly destroyed her own.

 

CSA in the USA > Washington man exposing himself to children gets 30 days; Alabama CSA fugitive in Phuket; Bowling Green man arrested for child rape; Coos Bay man gets 17 years for online child sex crimes

 

Vancouver sex offender accused of dressing as woman, exposing self to children at park

VANCOUVER, Wash. (KATU) — Police in Vancouver are seeking additional victims after arresting a man accused of exposing himself to children at Begley Park.

According to investigators, the suspect, Daniel Harris, was seen entering a bathroom at Begley Park and exiting dressed in women’s clothing. Police say Harris then signaled to children in the park to get their attention before exposing himself to them.

READ ALSO | Cornelius man abused children inside hidden room at his business, sheriff says

Harris was identified and arrested a short time later. He was booked into the Clark County Jail on six counts of indecent exposure.

Police believe there may be more victims who were directly affected by this incident. All firsthand victim who have not yet spoken with police are asked to call 311 and report their experience.

Investigators say Harris is a Level III sex offender. A Level III sex offender is considered by law enforcement as the highest risk classification, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

Harris was convicted of indecent exposure nearly a year ago at the same park. That incident occurred on Aug. 30, 2025. He was also convicted on a charge of voyeurism in September 2024. Harris was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 36 months of community custody for the first conviction. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail for the second conviction.

Man accused of traveling to Thailand to avoid child sex abuse prosecution

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC/Gray News) - An Alabama man flew to Thailand to avoid prosecution on state charges accusing him of sexually abusing a child for years.

Lance Michael Beck was charged on Aug. 24 with sexual torture/abuse, first-degree sodomy, first-degree rape, first-degree human trafficking, first-degree sexual abuse and incest.

He could face charges of flight to avoid prosecution, according to the complaint.

The affidavit states the charges stem from allegations of long-term child sexual abuse against a minor victim who was 8 or 9 years old when the abuse began.

In July 2026, the victim disclosed that Beck had sexually assaulted her.

A forensic interview was conducted with the victim on July 31, during which she disclosed years of sexual abuse by Beck.

On Aug. 5, the sheriff’s office executed a residential search warrant at Beck’s home. According to the affidavit, Beck was not present but spoke with officers through his doorbell camera system.

On Aug. 10, investigators attempted to call Beck about the allegations, but he did not answer.

According to the affidavit, Beck arrived at Phuket International Airport in Thailand on Aug. 25 at around 9:52 p.m. The affidavit states he flew Delta from Atlanta, connecting through Seoul, South Korea, and that Delta confirmed he had not booked return travel through the airline. Beck arranged the trip through Booking.com, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit states law enforcement obtained Beck’s bank records through legal process, which showed a login to his bank’s website or mobile app from an IP address resolving to a Thai internet service provider on Aug. 27 at around 9:20 a.m.

Law enforcement also observed Instagram posts associated with Beck depicting images consistent with the Thai coast and a nightclub video in which a disc jockey identified themselves, according to the affidavit.

Open-source research indicated the DJ is located in Phuket, the affidavit states.

The affidavit stated that Beck is considered a fugitive.

Bowling Green man arrested, charged with sexual abuse of a minor, police say

What This Story Is About

• A Bowling Green man is facing sexual abuse charges.

Why It Matters

• The man is charged with child sexual abuse charges involving a 14-year-old victim, according to officials.

What Happens Next

• The investigation remains ongoing and more charges are anticipated.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - A Bowling Green man has been arrested on child sexual abuse charges.

Anthony Abney, 42, of Bowling Green is charged with:

• Unlawful transaction with a minor, first-degree, illegal sex act, under 16-years-old
• Sodomy, third-degree
• Rape, third-degree

The charges against Abney stem from the following.

On Aug. 15, Bowling Green Police were contacted about a 14-year-old who was reportedly involved in a sexual relationship with Abney while the teen was living at his home, according to the media release. The teen was removed from the home and placed into protective custody.

During an interview by the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center, the teen disclosed alleged sexual activity involving Abney, according to the media release.

Wednesday morning, Abney was taken into custody by detectives, officials said.

Abney is being held in the Warren County Jail, according to officials. The investigation remains ongoing and more charges are anticipated.

Coos Bay man sentenced on child sex crimes

COOS BAY, Ore. – A Coos Bay man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for child sexual exploitation crimes.

Thomas Owen Barnett, 40, was handed the sentence in federal court in Eugene. According to court documents, between September and December 2023, Barnett encouraged an underage victim to create and send him child sexual abuse material.

Officials said that in September 2024, he distributed those materials on an online chat platform and sought money in exchange.

That same month, Barnett also posed online as the minor in an attempt to get another man to send him sex abuse materials of another child.

A federal grand jury indicted Barnett on multiple related charges in February 2025.

Foxes in the American Henhouse > NE investigator investigated for CSAM; Miami-Dade Fireman guilty again; WIS Boy Scout volunteer arrested for CSA; MD police Sergeant arrested w/o bail

 

Former Nebraska police investigator faces federal child sex abuse material charges

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) - A former North Platte police investigator who worked internet crimes against children cases has resigned following his arrest on federal charges of possessing child sex abuse materials.

John Deal, 46, of North Platte, made his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday.

The North Platte Police Department released an official statement on Wednesday, clarifying the timeline of the investigation and confirming that Deal resigned immediately following his arrest Monday.

According to a release by Public Information Officer Sergeant J. Johnson, the North Platte Police Department was first notified on Aug. 4 that the FBI had served a search warrant at Deal’s residence. At that time, Deal was immediately placed on administrative leave.

Because the federal criminal complaint and search warrant were sealed, the department was not provided with specific details regarding the allegations. On Monday the FBI informed the department that a federal warrant had been issued and Deal was arrested. He resigned shortly thereafter.

The federal criminal complaint was unsealed on Tuesday afternoon, allowing the department to review the specific allegations for the first time.

According to the federal complaint, Deal first came to the attention of FBI investigators last year following a CyberTip. The parent company of Cash App flagged a Bitcoin transaction from Deal’s account to a digital wallet known for purchasing child sexual abuse materials and reported it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

During the search of Deal’s home on Aug. 4, investigators seized a computer, an iPad and an iPhone. A digital forensics search of the devices uncovered a history of accessing at least 48

encrypted TOR network addresses containing child sex abuse materials, along with 13 additional sites that had already been shut down. Ultimately, investigators found 82 files of child sex abuse materials on the seized devices.

Deal had been employed with the North Platte Police Department for 21 years and previously served as a task force officer with Homeland Security Investigations, where he handled child exploitation cases.

Court documents show that investigators consulted North Platte Police Chief Steve Reeves, who confirmed Deal was not tasked with undercover operations and “should not be working child exploitation cases from his home computer or residence.”

Former Miami-Dade firefighter found guilty of sexually abusing children — again

By Grethel Aguila 

August 31, 2026 6:46 PM 

Fernando Castano Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation 

A former Miami-Dade firefighter was found guilty on Monday of sexually abusing children in a new trial stemming from an appeals court overturning his convictions. Fernando Castano, 52, was convicted by a six-person jury after more than three hours of deliberation. The allegations against Castano surfaced after he was arrested in connection to a 2021 domestic dispute with his now ex-wife.

In 2022, Castano was convicted of a slew of charges linked to him allegedly sexually abusing the children — and pulling a gun on his then-wife during the dispute. Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Ellen Sue Venzer, who presided over the retrial, had sentenced Castano to life in prison. 

The ex-firefighter, who worked the 2021 Surfside condo collapse, blamed stress from responding to the tragedy for pulling the weapon. Facing the jury, prosecutor Natalie Snyder said the sexual abuse had been going on for years, so there were no injuries on the underage victims. But several pieces in that evidence pointed to Castano’s guilt. The victims testified in court about the abuse. Castano’s wife was aware of the allegations. The abuse, Snyder said, was confirmed through text messages.

Use your common sense,” Snyder said. “There’s no other explanation.” The prosecutor, in her closing argument, urged the jury to find Castano guilty. “This nightmare, this secret has finally bubbled over,” Snyder said. The sexual abuse allegations, defense attorney Jude Faccidomo said, were like a “game of telephone.” He said the victims concocted the abuse because they were in fear of Castano. Looking at the jury, Faccidomo said he argued that the allegations against Castano were not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. “There were things that came out on the stand that do not paint my client in the best light,” Faccidomo said. “That is not why you are here.” 

Why was the case back in court? In May 2025, the Third District Court of Appeal reversed Castano’s convictions on the sex-abuse charges, citing how prosecutors introduced the testimony of Castano’s pastor. Castano had been convicted of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious molestation of a child and lewd and lascivious exhibition.

During Castano’s original trial, the pastor testified that Castano told her he had “sexual encounters” with one of the underage victims. The pastor, according to the court’s opinion, spoke to Castano’s then-wife, who “confirmed the abuse.” Conversations with members of clergy are often privileged and cannot be introduced as evidence against a defendant. The appeals court also ruled that Venzer, the trial judge, incorrectly allowed the pastor’s testimony. That testimony, the court found, was not harmless error, meaning that it could have led to Castano’s conviction. Judge Venzer had found that Castano’s communication with the pastor was not privileged because Castano and his pastor met at a football field during a practice and not in private. But the appeals court said Castano had an expectation of privacy, focusing on how he did not intend for his conversation with the pastor to be disclosed to others aside from his then-wife.

Former Stevens Point Boy Scout volunteer arrested for sexual assault

• By: Brad Miller
• Sep 2, 2026 Updated 2 hrs ago
  






PLOVER, Wis. (WAOW) — UPDATE (2pm): A judge set a $250,000 cash bond for Steven E. Lorang during a court appearance on Sep. 2.
Judge Louis J. Molepske Jr. imposed strict conditions as part of the bond. Lorang is prohibited from contacting three identified victims and cannot have any contact with children under the age of 18.
The court also barred Lorang from any contact with the Boy Scouts of America, anyone affiliated with the organization or any troops connected to it. He must surrender his passport if he has one and cannot leave Wisconsin.
Additional conditions include a ban on possessing any form of pornography and maintaining absolute sobriety from alcohol. Lorang cannot possess or consume controlled substances without a valid prescription taken according to instructions.
 

ORIGINAL STORY:

A 57-year-old Plover man has been arrested and is facing multiple sexual assault charges after admitting to grooming and sexually assaulting a juvenile he met through his volunteer work with a Boy Scout pack about 15 years ago.

Steven Lorang was taken into custody Aug. 31 following an interview with detectives from the Plover Police Department. The investigation began in July when police received historical information about an adult who had groomed and sexually assaulted a juvenile victim approximately 15 years earlier.

Detectives gathered information and conducted several interviews that identified other potential victims. During questioning, Lorang admitted to engaging in grooming and sexual activity with a juvenile he met through his affiliation as a volunteer with Boy Scout Pack 297 in Stevens Point.

Lorang was booked into the Portage County Jail and is being referred to the Portage County District Attorney's office on several counts related to first degree sexual assault of a child, child enticement, repeated sexual assault of the same child and sexual assault of a child by a person who volunteers with children.

The Plover Police Department is asking anyone with further information about this type of activity to contact Detective Andrew Kyle at 715-345-5255, ext. 142. Victims of sexual assault are encouraged to call the Wisconsin Department of Justice Crime Victims Services helpline at 800-446-6564 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE.

Judge denies bail for Anne Arundel County sergeant accused of assaulting teen at Severna Park home

The Anne Arundel County Police sergeant accused of raping a minor will remain in jail after a judge denied bail Tuesday.

James Shoults, 59, is being held on seven criminal counts, including second-degree rape, sexual abuse of a minor and child abuse.

According to charging documents, the 31-year veteran of the department, sexually assaulted a 16-year-old who thought of him like a father figure after getting her intoxicated at his Severna Park home on Jan. 10.

The girl's mother reported the incident to the police in late July. Shoults was arrested and charged Monday.

Court documents allege the officer communicated with the girl on his police-issued phone.

According to the documents, on the night of Jan. 10, the victim went to Shoults' house after hanging out. The victim says he gave her alcoholic drinks.

Child advocate Adam Rosenberg, a former sex crimes prosecutor, said a few things jumped out to him when reviewing this case.

"It's a reminder that most sexual abuse of children occurs from someone who the child and the family knows and trusts," Rosenberg told WBAL-TV 11 News. "That stranger danger really is a myth from the 1970s."

Rosenberg said the child abuse charge indicates there was a custodial relationship and called the allegations around alcohol a grooming "red flag."

"Abuse occurs because somebody's able to gain the trust, not just of the child, but the whole family, and unfortunately, in too many cases, they use that trust to be able to exploit and abuse the child there," he said.

Two people who identified themselves as the defendant's family members attended Tuesday's bail review.

Shoults is due back in court at the end of the month.