Ikenna Nzeribe was the sole survivor after assassins from Boko Haram stormed his Nigerian church in 2012 , just 60 miles from where the jihadists last month abducted more than 200 girls . The church massacre remains vivid for Nzeribe three years later -- as are the scars on his face , neck and arm . The Muslim extremists fired shots into the air and shouted `` Allah Hu Akbar , '' or God is great . Nzeribe and 13 other Christians hit the floor . They were mourning how Boko Haram earlier had killed three fellow Christians , but now Boko Haram was coming for them . The masked gunmen shot the 13 worshippers in the head , fatally . Now it was Nzeribe 's turn . `` As soon as I saw the man , I knew it was over for me , '' Nzeribe , 33 , said about the gunman . `` The only thing I could do was say a last prayer , which was 'Blood of Jesus cover me . ' `` And that was it for me , '' he told CNN . Nzeribe , a handsome banker , was shot in the face with an AK-47 assault rifle , blowing away his jaw , lips and part of his tongue . He faked death -- `` until they finished , '' he said . He bled profusely . `` I would say I died in the process , '' Nzeribe added . `` But God brought me back to life . '' Rescuers took him to a local hospital in Mubi , a suburban area in northeastern Nigeria where he was part of a Christian minority and where the mass shooting in church occurred . He was later flown to London , where surgeons reconstructed his face . Nzeribe recalled looking in the mirror for the first time post-surgery . What he saw was `` a very different person , '' Nzeribe said , shaking his head . He stopped the interview , wiping away the tears and finding composure after long breaths . A zigzagging scar runs up Nzeribe 's chin to his upper lip . His mouth is even more disfigured , but at least he can talk , in soft tones . And he has a great laugh , though he ca n't smile . He 's had more than a dozen surgeries , with more pending . He 's now recovering in Houston , where he receives treatment and lives with his wife and their baby , joining a Nigerian immigrant community whose residents find the climate similar to their native country 's . His attorney , Frank C. Onyenezi , is working on Nzeribe 's immigration status . `` We 've come a long way , '' Nzeribe said of his surgeries and reconstructed face . He 's flattered to hear how he appears younger . `` It gives me confidence , '' he said of his surgically reconstructed face . `` It gives me hope . '' A devout Christian whose tale has been publicized in the religious press , he said has forgiven the gunmen of Boko Haram , whose mass abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls has outraged the international community . `` The first thing I did was to forgive them , '' Nzeribe said . `` Had they known better , they could n't do that . '' But Nzeribe is n't naïve : He is warning the world about how Boko Haram and its leader , Abubakar Shekau , commit atrocities with impunity . `` Everything he says he will do , he does them , '' Nzeribe said . `` It gives them a sense of fulfillment and makes them want to do more . `` Just like al Qaeda , they are very , very destructive , '' he added . He now prays for the kidnapped 276 girls , still missing in Nigeria . Nigerian girl escapes Boko Haram .
Ikenna Nzeribe is shot in the face with an AK-47 by Boko Haram gunmen in 2012 . The masked gunman kill 13 other fellow Christians in church . Nzeribe plays dead and prays , `` Blood of Jesus cover me '' His disfigured face now being surgically repaired , he warns the world of Boko Haram .