Boko Haram has not run over the Northeast but one thing is clear: the entire region has not been the same since the insurgency. Apart from the huge loss of life and property particularly in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, other states in the North have been grappling with the influx of people fleeing from the rampaging sect. YUSUFU AMINU-IDEGU and KOLA ADEYEMI report
The agony has been coming in incremental doses. First the insurgents attacked public facilities and officers; occasionally, they threw improvised explosive devices or IEDs at gatherings, even pubs. Soon, they set their sights on bigger targets, including the police national headquarters and military facilities. They have since scaled up their operations, grooming and deploying suicide bombers (women among them) and kidnappers, with their fighters overrunning towns and hoisting the black Boko Haram flag.
The nation has paid dearly for the violent appetite of the insurgents but nowhere is the horror in such bold relief as the Northeast. As they sack one town after another, survivors have been fleeing to other parts of the region considered safer. It has been at a huge cost not only to their hosts and government agencies but also the internally displaced people or IDPs themselves. Whether directly under the Boko Haram fire or not, the North has been considerably shaken up by the sect’s violence.
In Plateau State alone, there are 35,000 IDPs fleeing from Gwoza in Borno State as well as Mubi and Michika in Adamawa. But there are others from Taraba and Nasarawa states running away from ethnic conflicts.
In Kano State, there are 261 IDPs being looked after by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) but everyone knows that camp life presents its own anguish.
Plateau
Information Officer of NEMA, Central Zone, Audu Yohana, said, of the Plateau situation: “A comprehensive assessment by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) indicates that the IDPs are camping in different locations across five local government areas of Plateau State, such as Wase, Kanam, Shendam and Mikang local government areas.
“Eleven thousand Internally Displaced Persons from Taraba State are camping in different locations across the four local government areas. From Adamawa State, 24,000…are presently camping in different locations across Jos North and Jos South local government areas of the state.
“The North Central Zonal Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has concluded the needs assessment of the IDPs and had sent its report to the Director General of the Agency for immediate release of relief materials to ameliorate the situation of the IDPs. The IDPs who are mostly women and children fled the troubled States as a result of the insecurity of their lives and properties in those states”.
While the agency is waiting for relief materials from its headquarters, thousands of IDPs are passing through hell. Most of them said they cannot believe they could be refugees in their own land.
The displaced persons from Lafia camping in Aningo village in Namu district of Quan-Pan Local Government Area of the state said they have been there for about two months without any relief from any government. They scavenge for food everyday.
A mother of four, Mrs Asabe Abel, said, “In this camp, I am living with my children as if we are in an orphanage home. No food, nowhere to sleep, we have escaped from crisis but we don’t know how to escape from hunger. Hunger will soon kill my children; government should come to our aid, please”.
The Aningo camp, according to findings, is sheltering about 10,000 displaced persons, most of whom women and children. They came from villages like Akuni, Gidan Gambo, Galo, Assakio, Amawa, etc. They comprise Plateau natives living in Nasarawa State and those indigenous to Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Most of the IDPs are peasant farmers who lost their grains to the attackers’ cattle. One of the victims, Huseini Baba-Musa said, “The people who attacked us did not only set our houses ablaze; they used their cattle to eat up our grains which we stocked in our barns. In my compound they destroyed four barns of food consisting of Soya bean, Guinea corn, maize and yam. These are the food I stored for the survival of my family”.
A visit to the IDPs camp in Aningo village revealed that they live as though in the wild, sleeping in what looks like nests.
Because there were not enough houses in the village to accommodate them, the IDPs simply gathered grass and sticks. They fixed the sticks to the ground in a circular shape and thatched the grass on the sticks.
The village head of Aningo, Baba Muhammadu Ashaleku, said, “We were able to cater for the needs of the displaced people who ran to our place initially when they were few. But when the numbers of their numbers continued to grow, it was difficult for us to cope with feeding them. We have been expecting government to come in but up till now, no government came.
The living condition of the IDPs poses serious health risk to them as their crowded spaces exposes them to epidemic. Investigations revealed that only the Justice Development and Peace Caritas, a faith-based NGO has shown concern about the plight of the IDPs in Aningo. The NGO said the number of displaced persons from Nasarawa State trooping to the camp increases on daily bases due to recent conflicts in the that state.
Apart from the IDPs in Quan-Pan local government of Plateau State, there are thousands of others who are also camping in Jos, the state capital. About 1000 of them are camped at the hostels of Zang Commercial College, Bukuru, Jos, hosted by Stepfanos Foundation, a non-governmental organisation. The camp consists of 145 families who escaped from Gwoza, Yola, Mubi, Michika, Madagali, etc. Programme Coordinator of the NGO, Mr. Mark Lipdo said it has no capacity to cater for the IDPs for long.
“I have merely provided a place for them to sleep pending when government will come to their aid with relief material and subsequent return to their homes when government would have secured the areas. Many of the IDPs have horrifying experiences of how they managed to escape from their homes and farms. They had to escape from their farms without the privilege of returning home when they learnt their towns had been taken over by insurgents. A few women gave birth in the bush while looking for ways to escape the horror. A lot of them are beginning to ask if government still regards them as Nigerians especially as the federal government is quick to respond to conflicts in other countries but is seemingly unable to curb the insurgency in few states within its domain.”
While calling on government to heed the cry of these victims of Boko Haram attacks as security and welfare of citizens is the primary responsibilities of government, he said “We appeal to relevant authorities, agencies, individuals and organisations to reach out to these victims for help in their bid to resettle and start life afresh”.
Similarly, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria popularly known as EYN is also housing some of the IDPs. One of the church leaders who addressed reporters at the church in Jos, Rev Dr Samuel Dali, said, “It is with a heavy heart and traumatised soul and spirit I address you this day on behalf of the displaced Christians and people from Northern Nigeria. It is obvious or apparent that the Federal Government of Nigeria lacks the political will to protect and defend our people in Northern Nigeria from the Boko Haram insurgency and attack from the Fulani militia. The Federal Government seems to be toying with the lives and limbs of the Christians in Northern Nigeria for political gains. While Boko Haram and the Fulani militia and their sponsors are killing innocent Nigerian citizens especial the Christians, the government seems to not care and has abdicated from its responsibility to protecting lives. There have been protracted attacks by Fulani and other ethnic militia in Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau and many other states in the North, the government seems not to care talk more of employ lasting solution”.
Rev. Dali said further that in all these attacks, Christians and their churches are mostly affected. At least 700,000 members of the church, mostly women and children, have been displaced and now scattered in places like Jos, Abuja, Kaduna and Yola. Over 8,000 members have been murdered or killed by the Boko Haram insurgents and 270 churches have been destroyed completely by the insurgents, while 45 out of the 50 District Church Councils (DCC) have been affected. There is no explanation the government can give as to why the Federal troops will run away from the towns prior to the attack on such towns by Boko Haram without putting any resistance, it seems government does not care about its citizens in that zone. The United Nations (UN) must intervene and declare the Northeast a UN territory with immediate effect and send in peacekeeping troops to secure the remaining traumatised people”.
Kano
For over a week, Malam Yunusa Nuhu, 67, has been yearning for a return to Mubi, his home town in Adamawa State from where he came to Dawakin Kudu in Kano State with 113 family members.
For them and the others, freedom is denied and their fate lies in the hands of NEMA officials who are looking after them.
At the Dawakin Kudu IDPs camp, our correspondent recorded gory tales from many of the 261 refugees. Malam Nuhu who was a bicycle repairer and Islamic teacher, said: “We are from Mubi in Adamawa State where Boko Haram has forced me and my family numbering about 113 out from our homes and legitimate earnings. We have practically become dependent on the government. I came with my wives, sons, daughters and grandchildren. In any case, I count myself lucky because none of us lost our lives to the insurgents’ onslaught. We all came here hale and hearty and by the grace of Allah, we are well taken care of by NEMA.
“However, I must tell you that we are not happy because our freedom is restricted and we no longer enjoy our privacy. My children’s education has been halted and their future now remains bleak and their ambitions have also been distorted. Ours seem like a hopeless situation because as we hear from the radio everyday, the killings continue in our home town and we cannot tell when it will end.”
Nuhu said that their escape from the troubled Mubi town was a miracle. “Many Nigerians may not understand what we are passing through. As I am speaking to you, two of my wives are here with me, while the third one is currently hibernating in Cameroon with other children. It is very difficult for us. It is indeed traumatising as we wake up every day hoping and praying that this tragedy will end. Nigerians should help us appeal to the government to do everything possible to ensure that this terrible experience is ended.
“A month ago, at about 9 a.m. we heard gunshots and after that, we saw helicopters bombing our town. At that time, I was teaching my Quranic students. Everybody ran helter-skelter as the situation became alarming. I was worried and apprehensive. I started searching for my family members. I got in touch with about 10 of them on the phone. I immediately instructed them to move towards the bush where we slept. The next morning, I was able to get in contact with 17 others who also met us in the bush and from there we set out on foot through the bush and got to a town by name Gude by 9 a.m. the next morning with no food, no water. We remained in the mercy of Allah. We stayed in Gude for about five days. We left Mubi without a pin from the house. From Gude, I phoned other members of the family and that was when my third wife told me that they have arrived Cameroon.”
He further narrated that, “the rest of the family numbering 111 met us in Gude, inside the thick forest. There and then, we managed to mobilize 27 motor bikes that conveyed us to Maiha village, about 10 kilometers from Mubi. They collected N2500 each amounting to about N60, 000. From Miaha, we hired two big trucks which conveyed us to Yola at the cost of N30,000. We spent five days in Yola. In Yola, we heard that the insurgents are moving towards the state capital where we were. We got jittery and fear and panic enveloped us. At that point, we hired two vehicles to Kano at the cost of N50, 000. We arrived Kano at about 2 a.m. in the night an d the driver took us to Yankaba where we were haboured for two weeks. From there, the Mai Angwar now directed us to the Hisbah Board who conveyed us to Dawaklin Kudu campo where we are today.”
Also narrating his ordeal, Alhaji Mohammadu Amadora from Michika town in Adamawa state said that they escaped death by Whiskas from Michika town through the bush with a family of 20 and three wives. “It was a miraculous escape,” he said while thanking God for sparing their lives. Amadora told our Correspondent ithat one of his wives delivered a bouncing baby boy in the camp about a week ago, “ and I named him Muhammadu Sanusi in honour of the Emir of Kano in whose kingdom we have been taken refuge. Ii lost one of my brothers to the insurgents. Chinto was a nice person to me and his death has been very painful.”
An orphan, Bashir Mustapha (12) narrated how he lost his parents to the bullets of Boko Haram. “They killed my parents before my eyes in Baga town in Borno state, a border town with Chad. They were merciless. They shot at my parents severally and I saw their blood flowing freely. They killed too many people that very day. IO am alive today through the grace of Allah but each minute that passes, I am confronted with the gory sight of my parents’ death. It is indelible in my memory and that trauma has refused to desert me. I am alone in this whole world—it is indeed a cruel world. I have no mother, no father, no brother and sister. I have no future. I cry every day because I am now a wonderer.’
Dejected Mustapha who narrated how he got to Kano said, “immediately the incident happened, I ran into the bush crying for help as our house was set ablaze by the insurgents. I was lucky as I ran towards the road. At about 7 p.m., after Magrid prayer, a motorist came to my rescue and asked me where I was going, I told him to take me to anywhere, at the end, I arrived Kano and was handed over to the Hisbah Board. They took me to a woman by name Umma who assisted me and brought me to Dawakin Kudu refugee camp.”
Aisha Buba, an 18-year-old widow who got married nine months ago, is pregnant. She said Boko Haram slaughtered her husband before her in Gomboru Ngala town in Borno State, a border town with Cameroon.
“The Boko Haram terrorists invaded Gomboru town and shot indiscriminately. They also slaughtered a lot of people with knives. My husband was slaughtered and the body caught into pieces as if he was a ram. As I was about escaping with him, one of them dragged my husband and told me to stand by. He pulled out a knife and slaughtered my husband before my very eyes and told me to find my way—that was how I ran to Kano. I am a young girl, now abandoned and dejected. I am from a poor background. We are suffering in the hands of Boko Haram. We appeal to the government to take urgent steps to stop this barbaric act because this is man’s inhumanity to man. We are longing to go back home if our safety can be guaranteed.”
