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Hundreds of residents of Kirawa, a community in Borno State, displaced by Boko Haram insurgents, have cried out over their worsening living conditions after taking refuge in villages across the Cameroon border.
The residents, who spoke with Punch on Tuesday, said they now spend the day in Nigeria but return to Cameroon at night to avoid possible midnight assaults.
According to the villagers, the situation worsened following Saturday’s attack, which led to the withdrawal of troops from the community.
Many displaced persons have now resorted to sleeping on roadsides, in mosques, and inside classrooms in the Cameroonian villages hosting them.
The District Head of Kirawa, Abdulrahman Abubakar, confirmed the development and appealed to the government to urgently restore security in the area.
He said, “We can no longer sleep with our two eyes closed as our people now juggle between two countries, sleeping in Cameroon at night and returning to spend the day in Nigeria. This is the first time we are experiencing such an attack since our community was resettled some years ago.”
One displaced resident, Buba Aji, described the conditions in Cameroon as disturbing and inhumane.
“At night, the experiences are usually inhumane. For instance, on Monday night, there was heavy rainfall and many of our residents slept under it. Some had to take refuge in a mosque, on the roads, and in classrooms because we fear the insurgents will return. We are currently in Kerawa, Cameroon Lamise, the streets immediately after crossing the Cameroon border,” he said.
He appealed for the immediate deployment of troops to the community to restore peace and order.
“As I told you, no Nigerian soldier is in our community currently. The JTF, who are Cameroonian forces, have returned to their country. We need the government to hear our plea and come to our rescue before these people (insurgents) return for another attack. We are not in hundreds but thousands currently facing this,” he added.
Similarly, another resident, Atahiru Lawan, said 80 to 90 per cent of the population had fled to Cameroon.
“Eighty to 90 percent of our people, including children, have run to Cameroon. Our people are lying on the streets of Kerawa, Cameroon, no accommodation, no aid, no assistance. Please, we are pleading with the government to come to our rescue,” he said.
Special Adviser to Governor Babagana Zulum on Security Matters, Gen. Ishaq Abdullahi (retd.), said the government was aware of the situation and working on it.
“You know our governor, the moment something happens, he will take action. So, just have it in mind that the governor will take action and he is on it,” he said.
On Monday, Kirawa, a community under Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, was attacked by suspected insurgents, killing scores of soldiers and abducting a schoolgirl.
On Tuesday, members of the Kirawa community criticised the Nigerian military for disputing the report and claiming that those attacked were Cameroonian troops.
The Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Maj. Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, had faulted the media coverage, saying, “It is the Cameroonian base in Kirawa that was attacked, not Nigerian troops.”
The Chairman of the Kirawa Development Association, Yakubu Mabba, faulted the commander’s statement, saying the military should not speak as if it has a base in the town when, in reality, residents rely on foreign troops for security.
“I saw the story this morning as the commander said it is the Cameroon base that was attacked. Let me tell you, as we speak today, there are no Nigerian soldiers in Kirawa. However, if anyone wants to confirm that people were not displaced or kidnapped, they can come to Kirawa and meet our people to see and hear for themselves. In fact, if you come, you will also confirm that we had no Nigerian troops protecting us,” he said.
A schoolteacher in Kirawa, Buba Aji, who witnessed the attack, highlighted language barriers between residents and the troops stationed in the area.
“Those soldiers displaced from the camp are all Cameroonian soldiers but are identified as Joint Task Force. We don’t have Nigerian soldiers in our town. They started their base here when late President Buhari went to Cameroon to seek help following frequent attacks. They are Cameroonian soldiers that were asked to protect the territory of Kirawa. They only speak French; most of them don’t even speak English,” he explained.
Giving details of the assault, Aji said, “We were at home when we started hearing sporadic gunfire. As the shooting continued, those living near the JTF camps around General Hospital Kirawa began to evacuate from that area to ours. Afterwards, we all ran towards the riverbank bordering Nigeria to take refuge near an immigration office.
“Thanks to the military from Cameroon; they had ‘BIR’ stamped on their uniforms; they entered and helped the JTF under attack in Kirawa. During the attack, many soldiers ran away before the insurgents captured a junior secondary school student, Aisha Muhammad Aja, who had just written her exams.
“From there, the insurgents went to the house of our Lawan (district head) and burnt it down, then burnt a shop next to his house. They continued shooting non-stop from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
“I will tell you, almost 80 to 90 percent of people in Kirawa that day spent their night in Cameroon. As I speak, the girl is still missing.”
Another resident, who declined to be named, accused the military of diverting attention from the core issues.
“It is funny that what we are talking about is whether it was Nigerian soldiers that were attacked or not. Should we ignore the fact that we are being protected by foreigners we can’t even communicate with? Was there an attack or not? Did they kidnap a Nigerian or not? Did it happen on Nigerian soil or not? These are the real issues.
“Our appeal is simple: we need protection. Troops from Cameroon are withdrawing, and the kidnapped girl is yet to be released. We are scared of further attacks,” the resident said.
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