By Evelyn Usman
The soldier did not lower his rifle immediately. Years on the battlefield had taught him that the North-East could be deceptive. Men had emerged from the bush pretending to surrender, only to detonate explosives or open fire.
So, as three figures slowly stepped out of the thick vegetation, recently, troops remained alert.
The first was a little boy, barefoot and frightened. Behind him came a woman with a baby strapped to her back.
Then emerged a bearded man, his face weathered by years in the wilderness. His hands were raised high, not in defiance, but in surrender.
