The Police Command in Borno on Tuesday confirmed the death of Prof. Ruth Wazis , former Head of the Department of Business Management, University of Maiduguri, who tragically passed away in an accident at her home.
The Commissioner of Police(CP) Yusuf Lawal who confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), said the incident occurred on Sunday.
Lawal said that as the Prof. was parking her car in her garage, a sudden mechanical malfunction caused the vehicle to accelerate unexpectedly, knocking her on the ground and stepping her chest.
He said that she unfortunately succumbed to her injuries before taken to the hospital.
He explained that her remains was taken to the hospital by members of her family.
The police in Borno State have confirmed the arrest of eight persons in connection to the alleged murder of Dr Kamar Abdulkadir, a lecturer in the Department of Physical Health Education, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID).
Abdulkadir was murdered in his office on Sunday by unknown attackers. His body was discovered on Monday with several injuries.
Police spokesperson Nahun Daso said the assailants also stole the deceased’s vehicle, phone and laptop.
He said: “We reviewed the CCTV footage and saw them going out of the University with the deceased’s vehicle. However, the video quality was very poor so we could not see the number of people that were inside the car.
The university’s Director of Radio and Public Relations, Prof. Danjuma Gambo, who spoke for the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdullahi Shugaba, said the police and other security agencies have already launched an investigation with a view to unraveling the circumstances surrounding his death.
“In view of the gravity of the matter, management advises all staff and students to remain calm and go about their normal, legitimate businesses because the University is working closely with relevant security agencies to get to the root of the matter.
“Management also assures parents, guardians and other stakeholders that the campus remains safe and secure for teaching, learning and community service. Management appreciates the numerous messages of sympathy and support from all its stakeholders in this moment of grief,” Gambo said.
A lecturer in the Department of Physical Health Education, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Borno State, identified as Kamar Abdulkadir, has been murdered in his office.
Abdulkadir was found in the pool of his blood on Sunday with several injuries on his body.
Sources said the bodily injuries indicated he was attacked with a knife and hammer.
The killers, one source added, also stole the deceased’s vehicle and other valuables.
“His hands were peeled off when he tried to stop the attackers. They also used a hammer to smash his head and his spinal cord, killing him instantly,” the source added.
It was a big relief for me when the University of Maiduguri ( UNIMAID) admission came, after two years of admission seeking. I remembered vividly when my mom broke the news to me; she was visibly elated at the opportunity but was scared of how I would cope in the school, due to the incessant attacks on the school by the insurgents. For me, it was a privilege, and I would not want to miss this opportunity.
So I prepared myself and after three tiring days, I and other obviously overwhelmed passengers, entered into Maiduguri from Lagos; a journey which should have initially been a two days journey, but was delayed by our vehicle getting spoilt on the way and also a robbery operation, which we narrowly escaped.
Owing to the fact that the university had been having problem with the North-East insurgency, we were thoroughly searched before we gained entrance into the school. On entering the university, I discovered that everything seemed calm and far from the way people thought it would be. My registration went without any problems, while I settled into the allocated hostel.
Settling in wasn’t really difficult but getting used to the environment certainly was, I arrived on October which was a hot season, so by day time it’s very hot, and very uncomfortable, now thinking maybe the night would bring in some shade from the sun but instead it gets really cold in the evening.
I was also in for a culture shock; being from delta state but raised in Lagos, I had an almost non-existent knowledge of the northern way of life.
There I found out that people really lived in harmony with one another, you could feel a connection between them, you would notice that from the way they eat; you would see men eating from the same plate, this got me fascinated because in other places, even where I come from, meals are served separately, even in the hostel when you do find two to three northerners in a room you would notice that they join their foodstuffs and eat together.
And also in the way they dressed, the northerners are known for the wearing of their native attire. These comes in variance with my southern values, where many have forgotten their culture, their way of life and have adopted the modern way of life, something Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti condemned in one of his songs, “…wearing suit inside heat”. You might think that it’s only the old people who wear native attire but even the young ones do too.
Even in their laws and societal governance, there are societal rules, one has to adhere to, such as, one having to dress appropriately, ladies not allowed to sit in the front of a tricycle popularly known as keke marua, this one is especially true and funny because there was a time I was boarding a tricycle so the tricycle was filled up at the back leaving an empty sit in front, a girl walked up to me and greeted me I replied back, then we started staring at each other for some few seconds, before a passenger beside me told me I had to sit in front, well I wouldn’t say it was my fault because I wasn’t used to it.
Many of the reasons I wanted to go to the university of Maiduguri was for the fact that it is one of the best universities in Nigeria, and the school fees is quite affordable with the school having different varieties of courses which you could choose and study.
Though there has been problem about insurgents, the school has a very good security system, even with a heavy military presence within and around the school and as a result, the rate of cultism in the University of Maiduguri is really low, as there has not been any cultist activity or any report of cultism activities in the school.
The school has also enjoyed many strike free session, despite the insurgency, the school has carried out its activities without disruptions, which makes it easier for students to graduate as that when due.
Also the issue of promiscuity and indecency has been low because the school has a zero tolerance for misconducts and a strict policy which compels students to dress and behave in the right and appropriate manner.
During my stay at the University of Maiduguri, my first and second year was relatively peaceful, however, I can remember one particular night, around 10:00 pm, after everyone were done with their lectures and we had settled in our hostels, there was a huge blast which shook the hostel, everyone became scared, some of us thought it was the military testing their weapons not until we heard the second blast which was closer and more louder than the first, that was when we realized it was the insurgents. Fearing that the sect had attacked the school, people ran for safety, creating pandemonium. The security unit had to come out and calm students down saying they had everything under control, that night we slept with fear, because everyone was scared.
It was later discovered that two suicide bombers had attacked, with the first suicide bomber detonated herself before entering inside the school but the other succeeded in detonating the bomb at a mosque in the school, the school from that day changed afterwards the next day new security measures were taken, soldiers flooded everywhere, anyone entering the school are searched thoroughly, passage ways were closed, but the insurgence didn’t stop at that day as there were later bombings in the school.
Students where now living in fear, hoping and praying that they would not be killed, some students even wanted to quit school and go back home, but with new security measures undertaken and security personals fighting back the insurgents in the area, the school has now been as peace full as before.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, Professor Abubakar Njodi, said yesterday that the federal government has committed N2.67 billion to enhance security in and around the university.
Njodi spoke at the university’s 23 combined convocation in Maiduguri.
He describeded the federal government’s gesture as a clear demonstration of firm commitment to its responsibility of protection of lives and property of members of the university community.
He said it would spur the university community into “greater services and sacrifices to the nation.”
Njodi lamented that insurgency had crippled the political, social and economic spheres of governance in the country.
He observed that its impact was enormous with devastating psychological implications in Borno.
He reiterated the commitment of the university to continue its normal academic activities in spite of the attacks on the institution.
He assured government of the university’s total commitment to promoting national development through quality manpower training and insightful research,” said Njodi.
On fuel exploration in the Lake Chad region, Njodi said in spite of the abduction of three and killing of six lecturers, the university would not relent to offer its services whenever the need arises.
He said: “the university would not be discouraged by what happened.
“We are ready to mobilize to the site to continue with the assignment anytime security agencies fortify the environment for smooth exploration activities.
“We consider the oil exploration in the Chad Basin area as an important national assignment and we are committed to its actualization, God willing,” he said.
The University of Maiduguri is set to send its team of experts back to the Chad Basin to resume oil exploration despite last year’s abduction of three of its lecturers in the area by Boko Haram.
One of them was killed during the attack.
The three survivors were released only last week following negotiations between the federal government and the terror sect.
Leading the three lecturers and the management team of the university on a visit to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday , the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Ibrahim Njodi, said the freed lecturers and the entire university community were ready to remobilize for oil exploration in the Chad Basin.
Prof Njodi said despite the harrowing experience of the men in the captivity of the insurgents, the university was focused on carrying through the exploration programme in the inland sedimentary basins.
Njodi expressed profound gratitude to the Management of NNPC led by Dr. Baru, saying the university community would not forget the support the corporation extended to the families of the victims at their hours of need.
He sought more succour for the affected lectures, stressing that they passed through unimaginable trauma in the hands of their abductees.
Responding, Baru called for a minute silence for the soul of the victim who died from injuries he sustained during the attack, saying NNPC was totally in support of the university.
The NNPC GMD thanked the academics for their visit, saying NNPC was ready to mobilize to the Chad Basin for further exploration activities noting that the corporation would work rigorously with the university and all relevant security agencies to fortify the environment for smooth exploration activities.
After facts emerged on last Tuesday attacks with close to 50 people dead and a video released by Boko Haram of three staff of University of Maiduguri captured in the ambush, the Nigerian Army has regretted her earlier statement which claimed the rescue of all Staff of NNPC and UNIMAID involved in the ambush attack.
The Nation recalls that a group of geologists from the University of Maiduguri and some support staff of the institution and security operatives and some staff of NNPC working on oil exploration in Lake Chad region were ambushed and abducted by Boko Haram gunmen in Borno Yesu.
The attack which was initially kept under wraps until media enquiries compelled the army to issued a statement after 24hrs informing that 9 soldiers were killed in the attack. The statement also added that all the kidnapped NNPC workers were rescued. But the claim turned out to be untrue.
The Vice Chancellor of University of Maiduguri, Prof. Abubakar Njodi had accused the army of misleading the public with claims of rescue when the Petroleum ministry and the Minister of Education paid him condolences in his office in Maiduguri.
He informed that none of his staff were rescued, adding that five of his staff were brought into Maiduguri dead, just as the Minister of State Petroleum Mr. Ibe Kachukwu said he could not as well verify the rescue of his staff as claimed by the army.
It turned out that Boko Haram released a video on Friday in which three staff of UNIMAID appeared calling on the federal government to secure their release from the hands of Boko Haram.
The Army Spokesman Brig. Gen Sani Usman in a fresh Statement issued on Saturday night said the earlier misleading statement was regrettable.
He said more corpses comprising five soldiers, 11 Civilian-JTF and five explorations workers, and some immunizations have been further recovered by military search and rescue operation going on in the area
Below is the full text of the Statement from Brig. Sani Usman.
“The incident of 25th July 2017 where some Boko Haram Terrorists ambushed our troops including members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) escorting some staff of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as well as that of University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on oil exploration in Borno Yesu District of Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno state is unfortunate and highly regrettable. Most regrettable also is my earlier release on the said incident about the rescue of all NNPC Staff. The error in the statement was not deliberate.
“The Nigerian Army in this present dispensation is reputed for timely dissemination of information on activities of our troops in all theatre of operations. We have strived to keep the public informed on our activities with no intention of distorting any fact. Our troops have doubled efforts in the pursuit of the Boko Haram terrorists while search and rescue is still on-going to secure the safe return of the remaining civilians.
“So far the search and rescue team has recovered additional bodies of 5 soldiers, 11 Civilian JTF and 5 members of the exploration team.
“Contrary to reports in some media, 6 members of exploration team out of 12 that went out are still missing, while one of the NNPC staff returned to base alive.
“On the other hand, our pursuit team also recovered 2 of our own Gun trucks and an additional Toyota Buffalo Gun truck from the insurgents. In addition, the team also made the following recoveries; 4 Rocket Propelled Grenade Bombs, 4 Rocket Propelled Grenade chargers, 6 AK-47 rifles, 1 Anti-Aircraft Gun, 1 General Purpose Machine Gun,1 Anti-Aircraft Gun Barrel, 1 Rocket Propelled Grenade Tube, 4 Dane Guns, 8 Tyres and 2 Tyre Rims.
“Other items recovered include 1 Pumping Machine, 2 Tyre Jacks, 1 Super Battery, 5 Reflective Jackets, 3 Toyota Hilux, 4 Jerry cans filled with PMS, 1 Motorola Radio, 1 Geographical Positioning System (GPS), 21 empty Jerry cans, 2 Shovels and 3 Food Coolers. Troops also recovered 122 rounds of PKM ammunition, 213 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 1255 Anti-Aircraft Guns ammunition, 4 boxes of API 12.7mm ammunition, 1 AK-47 Rifle Magazine, a Digger, 2 Bows and 13 Arrows, 2 LLG Bombs, assorted drugs and assorted working tools.
“The Nigerian Army condoles with the families of all that lost their loved ones in this unfortunate incident. Search and rescue efforts are on-going. We are counting on the goodwill and support of the populace in volunteering valuable information that could help in the search and rescue operation.
“What the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists are doing are pure criminal activities of kidnapping to gain funds. This has been noted and will be jointly addressed in conjunction with other Security Services.
“The Nigerian Army remains resolute in the fight against terrorism and would not relent in its effort to safe guard lives of citizens, properties and the territorial integrity of the country”.
The Nation recalls that in 2014, Brig. Gen Chris Olukolade(Rtd), the then Director of Defense Information, Nigeria Army told the whole world that over 80 of the Chibok girls abducted were rescued by troops in less than 24 hours and the statement turned out to be false.
CONSIDERINGthe rate at which the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) and its environs are being bombed, one cannot predict that more suicide bombings of the institution by the terrorists would not occur between the time of writing this article and that of its publication. For some time now, UNIMAID has been an unwilling host to suicide bombers whose actions have caused incalculable damage in terms of human and material resources as well as trauma to the staff and students of the institution. Within the past five months, the institution has witnessed about 10 suicide bombings with the death of a university professor, some security operatives and bombers who lost their lives while carrying out their nefarious activities. Some valuables, including a mosque, were also destroyed. Before now and since the inception of the insurgency, UNIMAID was regarded as one of the three safe zones in the state capital free from possible Boko Haram attacks; the other two being the Government House and the army barracks. On most occasions, when Maiduguri was brutally attacked by the insurgents, UNIMAID was at peace.
Similarly, at the peak of the insurgency, some educational institutions in the North-East were attacked and many students were killed, but UNIMAID was untouched. For example, on July 6, 2013, 24 pupils, a teacher and an Islamic preacher were killed when gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members attacked Government Secondary School, Mamudo, Yobe State. Also, on October 1, 2013, Boko Haram militants murdered about 50 students of Yobe College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State, when they invaded the students’ hostel at night. On February 25, 2014, Boko Haram members attacked Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, killing 29 students and injuring several others. On April 15, 2014, Boko Haram members kidnapped more than 200 students of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
Official records show that over 1,500 schools were destroyed by the sect in the North-East, including 524 in Borno State. Though there were atrocities meted out by the insurgents to other educational institutions as stated earlier, there was peace at UNIMAID until the insurgents started unleashing terror on the institution in recent times. The question that continues to rattle many is why the sudden U-turn by the sect with its fangs and claws on UNIMAID, which had been on holiday as a result of the onslaught or harassment by terrorists for years, even after its power had been destroyed? Individuals and security experts have advanced different views on the sudden turn of event. While some individuals allege political motives for the present predicament of the university community, others accuse politicians, especially from Borno, as the masterminds.
It will be recalled that in two separate statements, the military had accused some politicians from the North-East, Borno in particular, of frustrating the efforts of the military to end the insurgency for selfish motives. On the other hand, there is the allegation that some individuals within the military are not disposed to ending the insurgency for selfish ends. According to some security experts, the sudden attacks on the UNIMAID should not surprise anyone as the insurgents would always cash in on any opportunity to hit their target.
The porous nature of the campus coupled with its massive unprotected land could be an invitation to the insurgents. Others are of the view that the strategic position of the institution could not be ignored by the terrorists always looking for a loophole to strike. Established in 1975, it is located on the outskirts of the state capital along the Maiduguri – Konduga – Bama Road, leading to the main entrance of the Sambisa Forest at Kawuri vllage where the insurgents had their sanctuary for almost six years. Besides, some security analysts pointed out that since the Sambisa Forest was becoming uncomfortable for the insurgents, they must look elsewhere for relevance and possible impact. The withdrawal or reduction of troops from some parts of Borno, including Maiduguri, on the grounds that the insurgency had gone down is equally attributed to the current predicament of the university.
Without fear of contradiction, one can say that if UNIMAID is in trouble security wise, as currently observed, Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, is in trouble. What we must not forget is that after all, the Sambisa Forest was never conquered. Yes, the unbearable military onslaught forced the terrorists to abandon the Camp Zero, their headquarters in the Sambisa Forest. They relocated to other places, including parts of the massive forest, and they did so with their members, arms and ammunition. Hence their guts in the constant harassment of various places in Borno today, despite the popular opinion that the Boko Haram fighting power had been decimated by the Nigerian military.
No one would contest the fact that the Boko Haram fighting power has been on the downward trend, at least of late. However, before the shout of Jack Robinson, the recent sudden emergence of the fighting spirit of the insurgents is not only frightening, but puzzling. The sleepless nights and nightmares of the citizens, which for some time now were becoming a thing of the past, are gradually coming back, no thanks to the insurgents on the prowl again. The insecurity in the UNIMAID without immediate counter-measures, especially from the military and federal government, does not augur well for people’s confidence building in governance.
Must the UNIMAID be overrun by the insurgents with the incalculable destruction of lives and property before the late alarm would be sounded? It was the slipshod manner the erstwhile administration led by President Goodluck Jonathan that brought us to this seemingly unending insurgency we are paying dearly for today. We cannot and should not go back to Egypt again. The institution’s management is handling the situation with some interim measures, but the capacity to bring the situation under effective control is not there.
It lacks the financial muscle. For example, the university needs N2.6 billion to build the perimeter fence to make the institution safe. Following the unrelenting bombing, Governor Kashim Shettima recently gave the sum of N50 million to the institution to facilitate the digging of trenches in addition to his administration rebuilding the university mosque destroyed by the insurgents. The National Assembly has passed a resolution urging the Federal Government to immediately take action on the security challenges confronting the university. This is highly commendable. The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, also deserves praise for sending a team of officials to assess the situation. Let the resolution and the visit translate into action. •Izekor is a journalist and public affairs analyst.
THREE male suicide bombers on Friday attacked the students’ hostel of the University of Maiduguri. The attack was, however, repelled by security operatives at the University. An eye witness, who pleaded anonymity, said the suicide bombers attacked the new male hostel block (A) of the institution.
He said the attackers entered the hostel in spite of the trenches dug to fortify the security of the school. He said two of the bombers detonated their explosives and blew up themselves. According to him, the third one was shot down by security men while trying to flee the scene of the attack. “The attack came at a time when students are on vacation. Only the suicide bombers were killed but they caused damage to the building,” he eye witness said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Borno Police Command, ASP Victor Isuzu, confirmed the incident. Isuzu, however, said the command had neutralised two suicide bombers before they entered the university. He said security men shot dead the bombers before they crossed the university’s fence. He said the command had deployed additional personnel to beef up security at the institution.
Life, death, sacrifices of humanitarian aid workers in Nigeria northeast
Josiah Wangae, a Kenyan, makes his living in Nigeria’s theatre of death. In Maiduguri, Borno State, Wangae prowls the killing fields, where local military fight terrorist sect, Boko Haram, off the streets and desert tracts. Sometimes, the insurgents perform a bloody conquest and Wangae gets trapped in the middle of it.
Just recently, he got caught in a terrorist attack in Konduga. “It was a very close shave. I almost lost my life in the attack. I was in the area for field work when the insurgents (Boko Haram) invaded the town. They shot at everyone. They killed people and kidnapped underage children. It was a very sad incident,” said the staff of a United Nations (UN) multilateral health group.
In the wake of the attack, several local and international aid workers fled the scene of mayhem. But the Kenyan resolutely stayed back. Like he did in conflict zones in Syria and Afghanistan, Wangae dug into the trenches of pain and human need at Konduga.
Somebody has to help. Somebody has to go where nobody else would go. I have a wife and infant sons back in my country. It’s not easy working and staying so far away from them but my wife understands. I hope my children do too as they grow older. It’s not easy but my loved ones take solace in the fact that the work I do and the people I work for, are committed to helping the needy and making the world a better place – Wange.
“Indeed, Wangae dares ‘what nobody else would. He ventures where too many of his peers would abstain. To the middle-aged man and father of two, the possibility of dying or getting abducted does not deter him from assisting displaced persons and several other victims of Boko Haram’s bloody campaign across Nigeria’s northeast.
“But it is not all close shaves and lucky breaks for the aid workers and his colleagues. Wangae remembers with regret, the tragic death of his friends and colleagues in the dismal Rann bombing on January 17. “The loss is inestimable,” he said.
Corroborating him, Husseinah Abdullahi, a paramedic with a sister UN agency stated that the humanitarian community lost irreplaceable staff in the mishap. “I lost very dear friends at Rann. The disaster could have been avoided,” she said.
The Rann tragedy
Death came to Rann in common hours. It arrived in a hail of fire, consuming children and parents while they queued for food and relief materials at the district’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp.
In the incident, a military jet dropped two bombs on the camp for displaced persons in Rann, in Kala-balge Local Government Area where thousands of displaced persons are housed, killing at least 50 persons and leaving about 200 others injured.
At the time of the attack, aid distribution was taking place and many women and children were killed, as well as at least nine humanitarian workers from the Nigerian Red Cross and the International Committee for the Red Cross.
Spokesman of the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, Rabe Abubakar, said the bombing was an error and that it occurred after troops received intelligence of movement by Boko Haram insurgents in the area.
The Nigerian military remembers Rann bombing like the brute in a recurring nightmare. But medical aid staff, Samuel Suleiman, like Wangae, remembers the bombing like the animal trap that decapitated the Huntsman in the fabled wild lands.
Suleiman was one of the many people that got wounded during the military airstrikes on Rann, on January 17. Thousands of displaced people had taken refuge in Rann and the MSF had just begun working there a few days before the attack.
I was few metres away from where the first bombing took place. The bomb exploded very close to the military barracks. Instantly, I knew we were under attack but everybody thought it was Boko Haram. I took off immediately as fast as my feet could carry me. I never knew I was hurt until I got to safe haven. A bomb shrapnel lodged in my arm, causing me to bleed profusely. I was lucky to get medical aid on time – Suleiman.
Meredith Wakanda, 26, is a Food Security Analyst with another UN aid agency in Borno. When she is not accompanying missions to deliver relief materials and other assistance to fringe communities caught up in the anti-terrorism war in Nigeria’s northeast, she lives in the State capital with her parents.
According to Wakama, it’s dangerous crisscrossing war-ravaged communities in Borno. Due to the demands of her job, Wakanda, a native of Borno of the Kanuri tribe, constantly shuttles between the WFP office in the State capital and the several IDP settlements and war-ravaged communities across the northeast.
“You see things that bring tears to your eyes. I have seen a lot of anguish and I have experienced great misery by being witness to it all. But what keeps me going is the fact that by my work, I bring succour into the lives of many,” she said.
Living and working in a war zone
The life of an aid worker is a gallery of scars and perilous exploits. The absence of electricity, potable water, food, provisions, telephones and other relief materials can make the simplest tasks and routines cumbersome.
The average war zone assignment lasts from six to 12 months. This accords the international aid worker ample time to know the country of his assignment as well as neighbouring countries.
The Nation findings revealed that local and international aid workers are often forced to work and live in extreme circumstances. Many of them, field operatives in, particular, live where they work. This, according to a Field Security Officer for the WFP, could be anywhere from camping outdoors in a food drop zone to a refugee registration area or food distribution centre.
‘Our work would be easier if the roads are good’
The hazards of international aid work range from the possibility of sudden death via targeted attacks, abduction to extreme living conditions and travel on bad roads. For instance, Margaret Haruna, a staff of UN food agency’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) unit dreads visiting certain regions of Borno despite her passion for humanitarian work.
“Our work would be easier if the roads are good and there is dependable security stationed across the access routes. When we have to deliver food and other relief materials in extreme circumstances, we do an airdrop from a hovering aircraft because it is usually the safest bet. Sometimes, the aircraft lands in the middle of the conflict zone. From there, we disembark to offer food, nutritional supplements and other relief materials to the needy,” she said.
Every day unfurls with fresh challenges for the aid worker. For instance, while staff of the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) devote time and efforts to addressing the education needs of minors, field operatives of the World Food Programme (WFP), start by registering people in need of food assistance. The registration process may last for four days or more depending on the number of beneficiaries in need of. Staff of the agency also assist with helicopter food drops of cereal sacks, special food for kids and vegetable oil in regions where it is impossible to make the deliveries by road.
At the backdrop of the efforts, aid workers maintain utmost vigilance, instituting security measures that would aid early warning signals and evacuation process in the event of an attack by dreaded terrorist groups.
Bearing in mind that an attack could be carried out at any time, Field Security Officers of international aid groups adopt proactive measures. Before any mission, they communicate with local authorities, assess the security in the area, and equip themselves with a thorough knowledge of the area so that in a case of emergency evacuation, they can relocate their teams to safety.
The hardest part of the job
Sporadic attacks by Boko Haram continually slow the place of development work in the region as aid workers are often forced to flee humanitarian projects in the region’s hot zones for the safety of the capital cities. But even the capital cities offer minimal refuge to the humanitarian staff. Many are forced to adhere to strict safety rules to avoid targeted attacks by Boko Haram.
For instance, the United Nation’s multilateral agencies provide accommodation to staff in highly guarded hotels and official residencies. Aid workers also have to avoid night crawling and thus retire indoors early in the evening every day.
“Many of us do not venture out after 6.00pm. If there is no urgent relief work to be done anywhere, we retire indoors. It’s the safest bet,” said Adeola Adekunle, a UN Communications Associate from Lagos.
Adekunle revealed that when things seem lonely and bleak, thoughts of his wife and son get him going through the odds. “I console myself by calling my wife. I urge her to put my son on the phone so I can speak to him too. The possibility of seeing them soon keeps me hopeful and happy,” he revealed.
There is no fixed closure in humanitarian work. Aid workers across Nigeria’s northeast revealed that each unit does not rest until its members are safely tucked in bed in their highly cordoned residences. “We are in perpetual active mode morning through the night, weekday through weekends because conflicts or problems arise without respect for routine or timelines,” disclosed Ahmadu Salkada, a Field Security Officer in Yobe State.
When missions are extended beyond specified timelines, the wellbeing of staff become threatened due to food and water shortages, especially in conflict zones where the basic amenities and conveniences are scarce. In such extreme situations, aid workers device ingenious strategies for survival.
The mayhem in retrospect
Borno State, officially acknowledged as the “State of Peace” is undoubtedly the worst hit by the insurgency. Prior to the emergence of the incumbent government, aid workers fled the State. Until their flight, Borno was home to several high profile domestic and international aid agencies and personnel.
It will be recalled that when Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) moved into Baga, a town nearly 200 kilometres northeast of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, the organization then reported that it was treating 80 patients a day; half of them children.
But after five gunmen hijacked one of their vehicles along with medical supplies and other equipment, MSF abandoned the project.
The surge in terrorist attacks by Boko Haram worsened the humanitarian crisis in the region, which meant that more aid workers were needed to help mitigate the effect of the insurgency.
In 2014 alone, more than 500,000 persons are estimated to have been displaced from their homes due to terrorist attacks. In the first half of last year, civilian deaths are estimated at over 2,000. Since the insurgency started in 2009, more than 5,000 persons are believed to have been killed.
Before the situation deteriorated, the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) served as a regional hub for development programmes, conferences and training workshops. Such projects had to be abandoned as Boko Haram increased its conquests and stranglehold on Borno and neighbouring Yobe and Adamawa states.
Things got quite bad that in February 2013, two vaccinators were murdered in Borno by Boko Haram. In the same month, three North Korean doctors and health workers were murdered in Yobe State. Boko Haram went on to establish its stranglehold on 23 of Borno’s 27 local government areas. The situation has since improved as the Nigerian military has reclaimed Borno’s 23 local councils from Boko Haram’s stranglehold.
UNHAS to the rescue
In parts of north-east Nigeria, where the volatile security environment has disrupted overland transport routes, air travel is often the only practical solution for getting humanitarian assistance to people in need. Coupled with the challenges of extreme poverty, underdevelopment and climate change in the Lake Chad Region, years of violent conflict between the government and Boko Haram have thrust the country into one of the most acute humanitarian crises in the world. Today 26 million people are affected and 13.4 million in need of humanitarian assistance according to UN estimates.
The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), managed by the WFP, is the only provider of air services in this complex emergency. Using fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, UNHAS enables humanitarian organizations to reach thousands of people in hard-to-access and isolated areas, delivering life-saving food, vaccines, medicines and medical equipment.
The agency enables humanitarian organizations to reach people in remote, cut-off locations with in-kind and cash assistance.
In 2016 alone, UNHAS Nigeria transported 14,700 passengers and 53,000 kilograms of light cargo on behalf of 64 humanitarian organizations, including NGOs such as the International Rescue Committee, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Action Contre la Faim.
Action Contre la Faim Country Director in Nigeria, Yannick Pouchalan revealed how UNHAS has allowed his staff to reach deep field locations from their base in the capital, Abuja. This service makes short field trips possible, allowing aid workers to continually monitor and improve their operations.
Maie Sahoury, the only female UNHAS Aviation Officer in Nigeria also enthused that joining the WFP-UNHAS family was a life-changing experience for her, on both personal and professional levels.
“Sometimes we work for weeks non-stop, facing many challenges, yet the idea that doing your job will save someone’s life is a priceless reward that compensates for everything,” she said.
A deadly paralysis
Red cross officials carry a body at the site of a bomb explosion in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Friday, July 31, 2015 . A woman suicide bomber killed many people at a crowded market early Friday in a blast that thundered across the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, witnesses said. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola)
At the backdrop of humanitarian efforts in Nigeria’s northeast and other parts of the world, extreme risks and threats are paralysing the operations of humanitarian aid workers, thereby preventing them from helping more people in some of the biggest war zones, according to a recent UN-backed report.
“Conflict parties’ lack of respect for the fundamental tenets of international humanitarian law and the brutality and volatility of today’s armed conflicts make it extremely difficult and dangerous for these brave aid workers to deliver humanitarian assistance and protection in complex emergencies,” said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien, whose Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) co-produced the report.
‘Presence and Proximity: To Stay and Deliver, Five Years On,’ produced by OCHA, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Jindal School of International Affairs in India, is based on interviews with more than 2,000 international and national aid workers, and includes case studies on humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic (CAR), Syria and Yemen.
Danger pay
There is no gainsaying that humanitarian aid workers are exposed to intractable hardships in the course of their work. To compensate them for their efforts, they are entitled to certain mobility and hardship arrangements. The intent is to offer a comprehensive approach to compensation for service in the field and provide incentives for staff to accept assignments to the difficult and sometimes dangerous locations where staffing and effective programme delivery is often the most challenging.
The Danger Pay (DP) for instance, is a special allowance established for internationally and locally recruited staff who are required to work in locations where very dangerous conditions prevail. The Danger Pay is also given where United Nations staff or premises are at high risk of
becoming collateral damage in a war or active armed conflict. The allowance is normally granted for periods of up to three consecutive months at a time. It is lifted when dangerous conditions are deemed to have abated.
Death came to Rann in common hours. It arrived in a hail of fire, consuming children and parents while they queued for food and relief materials at the district’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp.
Meredith Wakanda, 26, is a Food Security Analyst with another UN aid agency in Borno. When she is not accompanying missions to deliver relief materials and other assistance to fringe communities caught up in the anti-terrorism war in Nigeria’s northeast, she lives in the State capital with her parents.
Sporadic attacks by Boko Haram continually slow the place of development work in the region as aid workers are often forced to flee humanitarian projects in the region’s hot zones for the safety of the capital cities. But even the capital cities offer minimal refuge to the humanitarian staff. Many are forced to adhere to strict safety rules to avoid targeted attacks by Boko Haram.
Borno State, officially acknowledged as the “State of Peace” is undoubtedly the worst hit by the insurgency. Prior to the emergence of the incumbent government, aid workers fled the State. Until their flight, Borno was home to several high profile domestic and international aid agencies and personnel.
In parts of north-east Nigeria, where the volatile security environment has disrupted overland transport routes, air travel is often the only practical solution for getting humanitarian assistance to people in need. Coupled with the challenges of extreme poverty, underdevelopment and climate change in the Lake Chad Region, years of violent conflict between the government and Boko Haram have thrust the country into one of the most acute humanitarian crises in the world. Today 26 million people are affected and 13.4 million in need of humanitarian assistance according to UN estimates.
There is no gainsaying that humanitarian aid workers are exposed to intractable hardships in the course of their work. To compensate them for their efforts, they are entitled to certain mobility and hardship arrangements. The intent is to offer a comprehensive approach to compensation for service in the field and provide incentives for staff to accept assignments to the difficult and sometimes dangerous locations where staffing and effective programme delivery is often the most challenging.