The security forces barricade institutions and police formations to prevent further attacks by Boko Haram. Credit: Ahmed Usman/IPS

By Ahmed Usman
KANO, Nigeria, Nov 3 2012 (IPS)

A recent military curfew imposed on the violence-wracked north-eastern Nigerian town of Potiskum has not only made life unbearable for residents, but it has also reduced their chances of survival.

 Hundreds of civilians are living in fear in the town in Yobe State after the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, a sect that wants to impose Sharia law on the country, waged an assault there on Oct. 18, resulting in the death of more than 30 people.

The attack led the government to impose a curfew on the town that leaves residents only nine hours of daytime to be outdoors. Since Oct. 22 people have not been allowed to leave their homes from 4pm to 7am.

Dr. Bawa Abdullahi Wase, a senior research fellow on ethnicity, inequality and human security, told IPS that in a developing country like Nigeria a large number of people have to go out every day to look for food at markets and other places.

“Seven out of every 10 people have to look for food every day and the curfew could reduce their chances of survival.

“Of course there would be a shortage of food. And if someone is critically ill or natural disasters like a fire occur it would be difficult to get assistance from neighbours before the fire fighters arrive,” Wase said on the phone from Jos, in Plateau State.

Kabiru Sulaiman, a resident of Potiskum, said the town, which is the biggest commercial centre in Yobe State, has changed entirely since the curfew was imposed.

“All the shops and markets are closed even before 4pm. Movement has been restricted, and our lives really are in a sorry state,” Sulaiman told IPS.

According to fellow resident Zakari Adamu, who is also the head of the non-governmental organisation Nigeria Fight for Justice in Yobe, life is becoming difficult as the lives of people in Potiskum have begun deteriorating since the curfew was implemented.

“The town has returned to calm, it is time for the Yobe government to relax this curfew,” Adamu told IPS by phone.

Abubakar Mohammed is a businessman from Potiskum who fled to Kano State because he could not endure the difficulties caused by the curfew and the fighting between Boko Haram and Nigerian forces.

“I have relocated to Kano because life was miserable in Potiskum. Businesses are not doing well, incomes dwindle and people always live in fear of attacks from either Boko Haram or the military,” Mohammed told IPS in Kano.

Civilians caught up in the fighting have accused the country’s Joint Task Force (JTF) of attacking them. It is a claim that has been supported by Amnesty International, which issued a statement on Thursday Nov. 1 accusing Nigerian forces of human right abuses.

“Every injustice carried out in the name of security only fuels more terrorism, creating a vicious circle of murder and destruction,” said the organisation’s secretary general, Salil Shetty, in a statement issued to the press.

In an emailed statement, JTF spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa denied the claims.

Meanwhile, children in Potiskum are unable to attend school as the Sabon Layi Primary School, King Abdulaziz Primary School and the Senior Science Secondary School are among the schools burnt down in the recent attack in a war that seems to be focused against the idea of Western education. Boko Haram means “western education is sin”.

Adamu visited the scene and reported that many schools have been affected by the Islamists’ attacks.

“I have seen approximately five schools burnt down in Potiskum,” he said.

While residents in Potiskum complain about the curfew; the state government of Yobe said it would not be lifted anytime soon.

“The curfew is still there from 4pm to 7am and it is meant to protect lives and property,” Abdullahi Bego, special adviser on press affairs and information to the governor of Yobe, told IPS in a telephone interview.

Security analysts say the government did not take adequate action on intelligence reports on Boko Haram before they became so prominent in the country. If they had, they could have rooted out the Islamists or reduced their activities years ago, James Kura Garba, a security analyst and retired State Security Service chief based in the northern state of Kaduna, told IPS.

“There were intelligence reports since before the Boko Haram mayhem started that these gunmen were receiving training at camps outside Nigeria. But the government did not act,” Kura said.

“The government has erred by not using intelligence reports in a timely fashion; they could have crippled the activities of Boko Haram or reduced them to the barest minimum,” Garba said.

Garba, who lamented the government’s failure to secure lives and property, said it should intensify its efforts and people should cooperate with security agencies by giving vital information.

Meanwhile, the attacks continue. On Sunday, Oct. 28, a suicide bomber hit St. Rita’s Church in the western state of Kaduna. The explosion resulted in the death of more than 10 people and injured several others, including children.

Though no group has yet come forward, Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past.

By Ahmed Usman
KANO, Nigeria, Oct 16 2012 (IPS)

Locals in the city of Maiduguri in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno have intensified their calls for the military to withdraw from the town, the stronghold of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, after claims that they are being maltreated and abused.

The people residing in Maiduguri have been paying a heavy price for the Islamists’ guerrilla war, as the security forces accuse them of non-cooperation and shielding the Islamists.

“We are terribly disturbed by the wave of incessant retaliatory attacks by security forces on us,” local resident Bulama Abbagana told IPS.

“Even if we were in a state of war with a rival country, civilians should not be killed and maimed in the way the military is doing,” Abbagana angrily told IPS over the phone.

Boko Haram, whose name means “western education is sin”, has for the past three years been attacking government institutions, including suicide bombings of the United Nations building in the capital, Abuja. The worst attack was the Jan. 20 assault at the ancient city of Kano that claimed over 180 lives.

Boko Haram has adopted a Taliban style approach and is alleged to have links with Al Qaeda in North Africa. They want to impose Islamic law in a country sharply divided between a majority Muslim north and Christian south.

One resident who does not want his name in print for fear of reprisals told IPS: “We wish to be left with Boko Haram, we would have incurred less trouble than with the military.”

Maiduguri, the headquarters of Boko Haram activity in Nigeria and the staging point for the insurgents, appears to have become a battleground.

The most recent attack was on Monday, Oct. 15 when sustained strikes on the city by government soldiers resulted in a number of bomb explosions and the lockdown of the city centre. On Sunday, Oct. 14 the city was rocked by a roadside blast and two separate gun attacks that killed at least four people including a local chief, residents and the military said.

Prior to this, on Oct. 8, indiscriminate shooting allegedly committed by the members of the Joint Task Force resulted in further violence.

It is claimed that Nigerian troops in Maiduguri went berserk after their patrol vehicle was hit with an Improvised Explosive Device, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant, and injuring others. They were alleged to have started shooting indiscriminately in a densely-populated area of Lagos Street.

Residents say over 30 people were killed in the assault, and houses, businesses and shops were burnt down and vandalised.

“If you see the level of damage on our burnt houses and shops, you may shed tears,” Bana Modu, whose own house suffered severe damage, told IPS.

The feud between Nigerian security forces and residents in Maiduguri has reached its climax, with both sides pointing a finger of blame at each other.

The security forces claim that residents are not helping in the fight against Boko Haram. In several instances, the military have complained bitterly, accusing civilians of colluding with the attackers, as Islamists have launched attacks on them from rooftops and trees.

In turn, local residents complain that the security forces regard every person in civilian clothes as an enemy.

“Whenever there is a bomb explosion, the security used to besiege the area and beat any one found in their way. Some are killed in the process,” banker Abubakar Mohammed told IPS over the phone.

Businesses here have been crippled in the last three years.

“Many people have fled the area. I don’t have anywhere to go, but I could have left to escape from the attacks from two fronts: Boko Haram and the security forces,” Msheliza Dalwa told IPS.

The government of Borno state, where the crisis erupted in 2009, has shown no interest in withdrawing the troops, and has merely urged the security forces to respect individuals.

“Believe me, if the federal government withdraws the Joint Task Force from Borno, all of us will be chased out of the state by insurgents,” state Governor Kashim Shettima said, addressing journalists on the topic of the recent assault.

Shehu Sani, president of the Civil Right Congress, a local human rights group in Nigeria, told IPS: “The Nigerian security forces have been using disproportionate force which we see of equal magnitude with that of Boko Haram.”

According to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, no fewer than 2,800 people have been killed in the attacks largely claimed by the Islamists since the violence began in 2009. A report released by the global rights watchdog last week says Boko Haram’s assaults could be described as crimes against humanity.

“We will be happy to punish those committing wanton killings before the International Criminal Court so that those involved will not go free,” Ibarhim Badamasi, a resident in Maiduguri, told IPS.

The Joint Task Force is accused of embarking on house-to-house searches to hunt down the insurgents, and is alleged to have engaged in secret detentions.

“Some people arrested are dying in military cells without food, even the way people are being tortured could lead to the death of many,” a suspect arrested and subsequently released told IPS on condition of anonymity.

The security forces have denied committing killings and torture while restoring order. In a press statement to reporters, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said his men did not kill or assault civilians.

“There are no established or recorded cases of extra-judicial killings, torture, arson and arbitrary arrests by the JTF in Borno state,” Musa said in a statement.

“Very few cases of unprofessional conduct by some personnel are documented and those concerned have been punished while others are undergoing legal processes and Court Marshal,” he added.

The JTF has declared success in the fight against Boko Haram. It claims to have arrested over 60 members on Oct. 7 and killed a commander called Bakaka or “one-eyed man”, who is said to be close to the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau. It also claimed to have killed the sect’s spokesman, Abu Qaqa.

However, in a video message posted on YouTube, Shekau refuted the claims of Qaqa’s death. He only admitted that some members have been killed and their wives arrested by Nigerian forces.

A recent report by a U.N. panel of experts highlights the connection between the recent political instability in Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, and suggests that radical Islamists with links with Al Qaeda’s North Africa branch are attempting to strengthen their presence across Africa, Boko Haram included.