Abubakar H. Muhammad (9News Nigeria, Northeast)
A new wave of displacement is sweeping across Borno State in recent days. This is as a result of recent Boko Haram terrorists attacks in some areas of the state.
The new attacks, starting last week Wednesday at Ngoshe, a community under Gwoza local government area, and later in Konduga, Kukawa and now Doron Baga, have forced thousands of people away from their homes.
According to several sources, the displaced persons from these communities have spread across the state.
While others are still seeking shelter in neighboring villages around their area, many have traveled to Maiduguri, the state capital.
Ngoshe, Boko Haram’s New Quarters
Following the Wednesday night attack, Ngoshe is at the time of filling this report, still under Boko Haram control.
The terrorists have released several videos asserting their control over the city, including a viral video of their fighters addressing the public, saying that they intends to stay in the town upto the end of the month of Ramadan, fasting period.
In another video, the terrorists were seen performing Friday congregation prayer, with armed fighters visibly spread around the area to protect the praying session.
This is the first time the terrorists groups have taken over and asserting control over a community in a long time in Borno. While several reports indicated that there are about 300 captives from the Ngoshe attack, a source who survived the attack said that there are more than 400 people in captivity.
The source who didn’t authorize his name to be mentioned for safety reasons, and whose wife is among the captives, also confirmed to this reporter that some of the captives have managed to escape from the terrorists today Monday.
While there is still uncertainty on the situation of Ngoshe residents under Boko Haram control, the remaining population are spread across neighboring areas like Mpulka and Gwoza town among others. Also, many are currently in Maiduguri.
Kawuri, A Ghost Town
When the terrorists struck Konduga, many people were also displaced.
However, Kawuri, a political ward under Konduga, is the most hit by this attack. According to sources from the community, all the inhabitants of Kawuri have fled, and seek shelter in neighboring villages.
The sources also noted that only security personnel, including Civilian Joints Task Force (CJTF) and volunteer hunters are currently present in the town.
However, while schools and other facilities have stopped operating in Kawuri, it is confirmed that the clinic in the facility is still functioning, but restricted to only daytime operations.Similarly, many people have sustained injuries in Kawuri during the incident.
While there are no adequate and reliable sources to establish the number of casualty in this attack, a source confirmed on Monday that one of the injured persons died today while receiving treatment at a hospital.
Pain in Kukawa
Unlike in Ngoshe and Konduga, the attack in Kukawa did not indicate any case of displacement.
The terrorists stormed into the town from multiple directions to attack a military facility.
The result of the attack was the killing of an army commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Umar Farouq and his men, who paid the supreme praise in trying to defend the town and the military facility.It was reported also that the terrorists have catered away with weapons from the facility.
The delegation of the state government alongside the Theater Commander, Northeast Operations Lafiya Dole, had also visited the Kukawa to assess the situation, a move seen as a relief for the community.
Repelled Attack in Doron Baga
Boko Haram launched a fresh attack today Tuesday in Doron Baga, also in Kukawa.
Baga is a popular fishing town on the shores of Lake Chad.
In this attack, the terrorists stormed into the town at around 1 AM, with sophisticated weapons. They engaged in a gun battle with the military stationed in the area, leading to the death of one soldier, according to a reports.
However, the military had managed to repelled the attack, forcing the terrorists to retreat.
A Blow to IDPs Resettlement Program in Borno
These current wave of displacement will undoubtedly affect resettlement efforts in Borno State, if the series of attacks continued.The state government has invested a lot of resources on the program over the years.
Many non-governmental organizations have also key into many programs to that effect.
Therefore, the federal government and every important stakeholder in the security affairs of the country most come together and save the situation, to avoid plunging Borno into a new humanitarian crisis.
