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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
They trekked many miles from their troubled homes in various parts of Borno State as a result of Boko Haram insurgency. With their friends and neighbours from Kebbi State, they escaped to safe areas and headed to Birnin Kebbi 10 years ago to find a peaceful environment.
Some were able to get their goats and other domestic animals along to be used as means of survival during the adversities of times.
While husbands and male children are into farming and other petty jobs in Kebbi, wives and female children are assisting their husbands in their farms and engaging in petty trading like selling of water melon, peppers and vegetables on major roads.
The story of Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast of Nigeria did not only displace indigenes but also affected thousands of non-indigenes who were in Borno State for farming, fishing and trading from various parts of Nigeria. In particular, many people from Kebbi State were displaced.
However, the story of Internal Displayed Persons (IDPs) who were from Kukawa Local Government of Borno State is pathetic as they are now living in fear over eviction from the camps they have been staying for a decade. Apart from living in make-shift huts in various IDPs, their fate are in the hand of God if the owners of the land, where they are currently decided to evict them.
During the World Humanitarian Day, First Lady of Kebbi State, Hajiya Zainab Nasare Nasir Idris, and her entourage stormed hospitals and IDPs to distribute relief materials and encourage them not give up hope in their present situations.
However, the visit of the governor’s wife gave the IDPs the opportunity to reveal their fears and worries of the moment to their August visitors.
While addressing the visitors, Hadeija Aliyu expressed the fear of women in the IDP located along Duku water, popularly called ‘Malado’, over their eviction from the camp. She told the representative of the Kebbi State First Lady, Dr. Halima Bande, the state’s Commissioner for Basic Education, that they have no place to go if they were removed from the present camp.
Similarly, Mallam Buhari Umaru, who came to Kebbi State with his wife and children, narrated how they escaped from Boko Haram onslaught with friends and they settled in the Malado’s IDP camp. They trekked many kilometers with loads on their heads, alongside animals and begged for alms before they eventually reached a peaceful town, Birnin Kebbi, where they settled at the camp.
He said: “We are from Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. We fled our villages because of Boko Haram 10 years ago. I am now here with my wife, children and relatives.
“We have been hearing that the owner of this place said he wanted to sell it to someone. We heard that we have to leave this place.
“Where are we going to now? We have no place to go. Our homes have been taken over by Boko Haram. If we return to the place now, our lives are in danger.
“We appreciate what the government and people of Kebbi State have been doing for us. But we want them to help us on this eviction issue. We have no place to go.”
Speaking for the women at the IDPs camp near Bayan Oando, Hajia Takani Issa explained that they have also been told to start parking their loads because the landowner wanted to use the land. According to her, this camp with about 100 occupants is gripped with fear of eviction.
Issa said: “We are about 100 in this IDP camp from a village in Kukuwa Local Government Area of Borno State and we have no place to go now because we have been told that this land has been sold.”
Also, Hajiya Indo Abubakar confirmed that the land where they are staying for the past 10 years have been sold and they need the state government to intervene immediately to protect them from been displaced again.
She said: “We have been told that this land has been sold to two different people. The buyers have been coming to tell us that we have to leave the land.
“We have been here for 10 years now as a result of Boko Haram. We are requesting that the state government should help us on this matter. We also want government to empower us, women, with skill acquisition so that we can be self- reliant.”
Abubakar commended the state government for always coming to their camp to give them food items, relief material, stressing that this was the third time the government under the leadership of Gov. Nasir Idris and his wife would come to their camp.
At Ambursa IDP camp located inside an abandoned school compound, with the largest number of displaced people of Borno State, they also expressed fear about their eviction from the camp to unknown place. A woman leader at the camp, Hajia Wasilat Muhammad, who is also in the camp with her husband and children, told the governor’s wife’s representative that they have been told that they should relocate from the camp, but they don’t know where to go.
Also, Mallam Muhammad Bala, the head of the camp, explained that they have been in the camp for the past six years and have no other place to go if they are removed from the camp.
“We thank the Kebbi State Government for always remembering us, especially the wife of the state governor, Hajiya Zainab Nasir Idris. This is the fifth time they have been coming here to give us food items and other materials.
“We really appreciated them. We are appealing to the governor to assist us on this eviction issue from this camp because we have nowhere to go,” he said.
While responding their to requests, Bande, who represented Hajia Zainab Nasir Idris, assured them that they would deliver their messages to the governor’s wife and necessary action would be taken.
According to her,”the governor’s wife is making a lot of efforts to assist the vulnerable people in the society. She has the interest of women at heart. She loves to empower women so that they could be free from any difficulties and poor living conditions.
“That is why she delegated us to visit hospitals and IDPs despite her absence. This shows that she has the interest of women, children and patients at the hospitals and IDPs at hearts”.
