SPOTLIGHTS
- Three people killed while seeking food from their deserted villages
- Over 3,000 displaced people facing acute food shortages in camps
- Terrorists burning villages and foodstuffs, no longer taking hostages for ransom
- Lack of security presence in affected communities
From John Adams, Minna
With barely five days after gunmen suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram killed 20 people, 10 of whom were beheaded, in Bassa community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, three more people were killed on Tuesday by the terrorists in Lantan village in the same Local Government Area.
Lantan village is about five kilometres from Bassa community where 20 people were killed on Thursday last week.
The three people were said to have left the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Erena community, where over 3,000 displaced people from Allawa, Bassa, and other communities in the area are currently taking refuge, with the intention of getting foodstuffs from their farms when they were gunned down.
All the displaced people from these communities are currently facing an acute shortage of food and other essentials with no help coming from anywhere, hence the decision by the victims to take the deadly risk in search of food.
The over 3,000 displaced people were forced out of their ancestral homes in Allawa and Bassa after the Boko Haram members successfully dislodged the military from their camps in these communities, killing three officers and some soldiers.
The villages that came under attack yesterday include Lantan, Roro, Rumuchi, and Makuba, where all the houses, foodstuffs and other properties were destroyed.
According to a member of the community who lost his son-in-law in the latest attack, Adamu Saidu told the Daily Sun on the phone that the victims were shot on their way to get food for their families.
“We are here in the camp without food for our children and so they decided to go back to the village to get some food when they were rounded up and killed.
“Although they allowed us to carry their dead bodies and we have buried them yesterday (Wednesday). But as I speak with you now they have burnt down three villages.
“They set fire on all the foodstuffs in these villages including shops. They told us that anybody who dares to come back to these villages will be killed.”, he said.
Although there is no official statement from either the government or the security agencies in the state on the latest attack, a former chairman of the Local Government Area who did not want his name in print told the Daily Sun that the situation is now worse than before as the terrorists no longer ask for ransom but outright killing of the innocent villagers.
“When they see anybody they just kill him, they are no longer kidnapping and demanding for ransom like before. They kill and burn villages, including foodstuffs. The situation is now very terrible”, he said.
According to him, “The unfortunate thing is that nobody is saying anything about the current situation. Apart from Erena community, there is no single security presence anywhere around these communities that are under attack.
“From Allawa, Bassa, Latana, Makuba, Chukuba, Kusasu, Iburo, Kpadna etc, there is no security in these communities. The communities have been deserted”, he added.