Policemen fired teargas at
aggrieved internally displaced persons (IDPs) who took to the streets of
Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, to protest hardship in the camp.
Led by women and little children,
the protesters from Baga and Kukawa called for assistance from the public.
They grounded vehicular movements
for hours, lamenting that they had not been fed in the last 40 days.
On Bulumkutu highway, the
protesters destroyed the senatorial posters of Kashim Shettima, governor of the
state, chanting “Bama So”, “Kumaida Mu Baga” (We don’t want, take us back to
Baga).
Aisha Malum, one of the
protesters, said since they came from Baga, they were kept in the camp without
food, noting that only four cup of rice was given to her and her four kids in
the last two months.
Malum noted that her husband ran
to Cameroon when Boko Haram insurgents attacked Baga town some weeks ago.
“My children usually go out to
beg for what we eat. And any day they do not go to beg, we cannot have any food
to eat,” she said.
Umar Labaran, an angry youth,
said more than 500 people were sleeping on the floor under horrific conditions.
“They told us ICRC was coming to
give us food but the government told them not to give us food,” he said.
Buka Mala, another protester,
said some politician where demanding for their permanent voter cards (PVCs)
before letting them into the camp
Mala said one of the former
chairmen of Baga told them that those who do not possess PVCs are useless and
do npt deserve to be in the camp.
“They told us to leave the camp
if we dont have PVCs. We are tired of this wicked treatment vented on us,” he
said.
The government has question to answer in the hear After.
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