Iconic Boko Haram Attack Survivor, Nathaniel Ezekiel, Dies at 45
Human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, has announced the death of Mr. Nathaniel Moses Ezekiel, the sole survivor of a genocidal Boko Haram attack in Yobe State more than a decade ago.
Ezekiel, who was widely regarded as an “inspirational faith hero,” passed away on Monday, September 15, 2025, in Damaturu, Yobe State, at the age of 45.
In a tribute, Washington-based lawyer Ogebe, who had supported the late Ezekiel since 2013, described him as a “real fighter who refused to die despite being left for dead.”
Nathaniel survived a brutal Boko Haram raid in Yobe where the terrorists, enraged at a Muslim co-worker for mingling with Christians, executed all the Christians and the Muslim. He was shot five times — twice in the head, once in the chest, and twice in the leg — but miraculously lived.
“He suffered two strokes, hypertension, and diabetes as collateral effects of his mortal injuries. Yet he got married after being abandoned by his fiancée, had children, farmed for survival, and still held on to life for nearly 13 years,” Ogebe recounted.
Ogebe, who adopted Ezekiel as a “son,” said Nathaniel benefitted from several surgeries facilitated through the Voice of the Christian Martyrs in Nigeria and Canada after being neglected by the Nigerian state.
“Eventually, this month, he finally succumbed after surviving almost 13 years. May the Lord comfort his mother and the family. He was an inspirational faith hero who has gone to his reward,” Ogebe said.
His Life and Legacy
Born on March 3, 1980, in Bambur, Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State, late Mr. Nathaniel Moses Ezekiel was the son of the late Mr. Ezekiel Gajere Wali and Mrs. Elsie Ezekiel Gajere.
He was baptized in 2000 at ECA Goodnews, Damaturu, by Rev. Garba Bangalau.
Nathaniel attended Njiwaji Primary School, Damaturu (1987–1992), Bambur Primary School (1992–1997), and later obtained his Senior Secondary School Certificate from Government Day Secondary School, Bambur, in 2015.
He studied Surveying and Geo-Informatics at the Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu (OND, 2000–2004), and proceeded to the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, where he obtained his Higher National Diploma (HND) in the same field between 2006 and 2008.
Until his death, he worked with the Taraba State Ministry of Land and Survey.
He is survived by his mother, siblings, and extended family members.
The Taraba State government, which had employed him and supported his burial, joined in mourning the passing of a man whose life story embodied resilience, faith, and survival against terror.
