Alert your parents

I am a young girl aged 18 and I have a man who looks at me strangely every day each time I pass his house from school. My friend teases me saying he is my future husband but I seriously fear him – especially when I read about the Boko Haram of Nigeria. Am I panicking for nothing, what do I do? – Priscilla

Dear Priscilla

You have every reason to be concerned. This man is not your relative and is a total stranger. His actions have been consistent and leave you with more questions than answers. You need to avoid that route or at least alert your parents or guardians to the stranger’s actions.

Avoid talking to him – or any stranger for that matter. His intentions are not known and you are safe not interacting with him. Advise your parents about it. They may want to go with you to school twice or thrice to see for themselves what is happening. Your worries may be un-founded but at the same time you need to be safe. I emphasise that you must get an adult to know what is going on with that stranger. You have been really observant of this man’s actions and that is important for your safety while you are walking to and from school.

It is always important to always alert a school authority and/or family member of any suspicious moves by strangers around you. There have been issues of schoolgirls being kidnapped and no one wants you to fall victim to such an atrocity.

Safety starts with you. Never hesitate to let people know about strange things and always take such matters seriously. Your friend may be taking it lightly and making fun of the situation. That would have been okay long back when there were no such cases of kidnap. But we live in a different world now and these days you can never trust a stranger. So make sure you quickly report anything you find mysterious to trusted adults. – Aunty Lisa