BORNO STATE has been through a lot since the war against insurgency started about eight years ago. The war was preceded by the dastardly activities of Boko Haram, which believes in the use of force to pursue its agenda. Villages have been razed and thousands displaced from their homes. Today, many internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps dot the landscape of the state. Some of these camps can be found in the neighbouring Adamawa State and other parts of the country.
The Federal and Borno State governments are working round the clock to get these people back to their homes. Towards this end, many of the ravaged communities have been rebuilt by the indefatigable Governor Kashim Shettima, who also directed local government chairmen to live among the IDPs to enable them have first hand knowledge about their needs. The Boko Haram insurgency has virtually crippled Maiduguri, which is the epicentre of the sect’s activities, and environs.
Borno can never be the same again, no matter what the Federal and state governments do to rebuild it. The state, like a burnt palace, will eventually wear a new look and become more beautiful, but there will always be something missing from it all – and that is the cherished relics of the people which can never be replaced. What about the lives lost? What about those maimed and raped? What about the minors put in the family way? But Shettima is striving to make the people forget this ugly past and look to the future with hope that things will be better.
The IDPs camps have since become home to many, who lost everything to the Boko Haram insurgency. To mitigate their pains, Shettima is holding council chiefs responsible for their well-being. For the IDPs to feel the impact of government, he directed some local governments to maintain secretariats in their camps and also station officials there. Bama, Kukawa, Gwoza and Marte councils today run two secretariats – one in their headquarters and the other in the IDPs camps in line with the governor’s directive. Three others operate satellite secretariats in the IDPs camps in Maiduguri because of the ongoing military operation there.
‘’We will not have good reason to hold chairmen accountable if we sent them to their local government headquarters only whereas they have majority of their people in Maiduguri’’, Shettima said, adding : ‘’I will hold council chairmen responsible if I hear any complaints about shortages or lack of foods, water, access to primary healthcare and absence of teachers at any IDPs camp unless it is evident that they had made frantic efforts to bring such cases to the notice of the appropriate authorities. Chairmen must come up with rosters that would ensure deployment of their officials to all camps on rotational basis and anybody whose turn it is must be stationed at the camps…the presence of government officials in IDPs camps will help build the confidence of IDPs as they go through their healing process’’.
The IDPs have gone through trauma from which many may never recover. What they went through in the hands of Boko Haram will live with them forever. They may find it difficult living like refugees in their own country, but they have no choice than to make do with what they have. There are millions of their compatriots who are not displaced, but do not have a roof over their heads. Having lost everything not because of their own making, the state is duty bound to come to their aid, help them to pick up the pieces of their life and gradually reintegrate them back into society. The idea of IDPs camps is not to turn those places into their permanent abode, it is a temporary sanctuary from which they will leave for the accommodation to be provided by government or good spirited Nigerians.
The IDPs are already in a pathetic situation. Their case was compouded last week with the accidental bombing of an IDPs camp in Rann in Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno State. Many of those killed were charity workers and civilians. Some soldiers were among the casualties. No matter how well planned a military operation may be, if an accident is going to happen, it will happen. Even the best armies in the world also experience such accidents once in a while. The Rann bombing was not premeditated; it was something that happened in the course of an operation to flush out Boko Haram insurgents suspected to be hiding in that place.
The Air Force with all it has been doing since the war against insurgency started cannot with its own hands wipe off the gain so far made. It is with its help that Boko Haram was dislodged from Sambisa Forest last December. So, the Air Force would not deliberately bomb a place inhabited by civilians even if it has all the intelligence in the world that Boko Haram members are there. In military operations, there is what is called collateral damage. Unfortunately, the bombing of Rann falls into this categorisation. It was an unforeseeable occurrence which is inexplicable. How do you explain the bombing of an IDPs camp, which is under the protection of the government?
But something must have led to the bombing. What is that thing? Who gave the Air Force information that led to its bombing of the camp? Is the source credible? Has he ever given information to the military that helped in the war against insurgency? Was the source not aware that Rann harbours an IDPs camp? Does the military cross check such information before carrying out an attack? Couldn’t the pilot have distinguished an IDPs camp from insurgents territory? The questions are many, just too many. And answering them sincerely will ensure that such a tragedy does not recur.
Dictators gone forever
AWIND is blowing across Africa and it is the wind of redemption. Long condemned as the continent of bad, inept and rogue leaders, Africa is fast redeeming itself in the eyes of the world. It is no longer the region of sit-tight leaders. Those days when a leader will decide not to leave office after losing election are gone for good. Last December 1, former The Gambia dictator Yahya Jammeh lost the presidential election to Adama Barrow. He initially conceded defeat, but later changed his mind, alleging that the election was not free and fair. He filed a petition at the Supreme Court in order to stall the January 19 inauguration of Barrow. Despite all his tricks, the Supreme Court refused to be used to thwart the people’s will. His deputy and some of his ministers also dumped him when they saw the handwriting on the wall. His defence minister told him pointblank that the military would surrender if the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) forces entered the country. Jammeh, who was talking tough that ECOWAS could not dictate to him, quickly changed gear and fled into exile on Friday night, ending his 22 years misrule of the tiny and impoverished country. May other dictators still tormenting the continent go the same way soon.
