06/08/2026
Sofia's Diary
My name is Amadi Sofia Chimamanda.
I'm 20 years old, a Nigerian girl from Aba, Abia State, and I study Computer Science at Imo State University.
If you saw me today, you'd probably think I had a normal childhood.
You'd be wrong.
For years, I kept quiet about the things that happened to me. Things no child should ever experience. This isn't a made-up story. This is my life, and I'm finally ready to tell it.
So, let's go back 14 years...
I was born into what I thought was a family of two—my mom and my elder sister. I don't remember ever seeing my dad. From everything I was told, he left when I was just six months old. It was always just me, my mom, and my sister. Let's call her Vanessa. She was two years older than me, so when I was six, she was eight.
One day, my mom decided we were leaving Aba for Abuja. I don't remember much about the journey because I was still young. I just remember packing our things and following my mom and Vanessa.
We first stayed with my aunt. Let's call her Miriam Chika Paul. Aunt Miriam got married when she was very young. She had an abusive husband and three children. But her story isn't the one I'm here to tell.
A few weeks later, we got our own house in Dutse, Abuja.
My mom was a teacher, and no matter how hard things got, she always made sure we went to private schools instead of public ones. By the time I was seven, I was in Primary Three, although I had to repeat the class. I won't mention the name of my school, but I still remember my favorite teacher. She was Yoruba, and she was one of the few people who made school feel a little easier.
The truth is... I hated school.
I was painfully shy, quiet, and had no friends. Every day, I just wanted to go back home. Vanessa wasn't just my sister. She was my only friend.
Life kept moving.
The fights between my aunt Miriam and her husband became worse. One day, he hit her with a wooden plank so badly that she had to leave with her children and come stay with us.
Then I turned eight and entered Primary Four.
That was when we started learning about computers.
The moment I touched one, I fell in love with them.
I didn't know it then, but computers would become one of the few things that brought me peace.
Because behind the smiles... my childhood was becoming something else entirely.
We lived in a big compound. Our landlady lived there with her son, who was my age. Beside us was another family—a man, his wife, and their little daughter.
That man changed my childhood forever.
Every time I went to play with his daughter, he would call me inside. He would expose himself and force me to touch him.
I was only a child.
I didn't even understand what he was doing.
I only knew that it made me feel scared.
Celebrating my 4th year on Facebook. Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉
