Some residents of Baga, who fled from Boko Haram attacks to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Monday, narrated their ordeals to The PUNCH.

The residents, in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Monday, said they trekked 50 kilometres through dangerous terrains without food for two days before they could get to Monguno.

According to them, it was in Monguno they boarded vehicles that conveyed them to Maiduguri, where they are currently staying.

One of them, Hauwa Audu, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said, “I have to flee from Baga after the Boko Haram invaded our town. We walked from Friday through Saturday and got to Monguno in the afternoon (on Saturday). I was in the company of about 100 others, including women and children.

“We trekked for two days without anything to eat. In Monguno, on Sunday, we had to board a Volkswagen Golf coming to Maiduguri. We had to jointly contribute N15, 000 which we paid the driver. Apart from some men, there were 10 children and six women in the vehicle.

“We just came to Maiduguri on Sunday. We thought  we would stay with our relatives living  in Maiduguri or go to the Internally Displaced Persons’ camps.”

Drivers hike fares

He said that commercial drivers charged N15,000 for a journey which used to cost N7,000.

Thirty-year-old Adama Bulama, on her part, lamented that she brought all her 12 children from Baga to Monguno even with the rigour of a long trek.

She said she boarded a truck loaded with beans from Monguno to Maiduguri.

“There was so much struggle that I was the only one that could get on board. I even left my husband in Baga and do not know what may have happened to him now,”  Bulama stated, adding that she left her 12 children in Monguno.

Another resident, 20-year-old Magara Abba, lamented that she left Baga on Thursday and got to Monguno on Friday.  Together with others, she boarded a big truck that took her to Maiduguri.  According to her, the truck driver collected N2,500 each from about 100 of them.

He stated, “We got to Maiduguri on Saturday; and since we came no one has come to our help. The government seems not to know we are here. We have been begging to eat since them.

“I have not seen my brothers and sisters up till now. We are a family of 15.  I have not seen my father too. He was injured in the attack.”

Besides Baga, it was learnt that  Boko Haram insurgents attacked Monguno but they were repelled by soldiers.

A resident, Hassan Gana, explained how he escaped from Baga when Boko Haram fighters attacked the town.

He stated, “I left Baga on Friday, trekking from 4am.  We could only get to Monguno at night and we were not allowed into the town. We were about 5,000 that trekked. We entered Monguno on Saturday and got a vehicle that conveyed us to Maiduguri. I have been sleeping in the open since Saturday. We are more than 50 persons that are sleeping here (Baga Bus Terminus).”

Meanwhile,  apart from Baga there has been mass movement of people out of other communities in Borno State through Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, to Bauchi, Gombe, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kebbi, and Jigawa states.

Residents told The PUNCH on Monday that the Boko Haram insurgents,   who attacked some communities in Borno, were targeting soldiers.

Boko Haram had last week overrun Baga, Doron-Baga, Kross Kawwa, Bunduran, Kekeno and Kukawa towns of Borno State after three days of intense fighting.

Mallam Bukar Kachalla and Mr Abacha Musa told one of our correspondents on the phone that since late Saturday there had been mass movement of people through Dapchi and Damaturu to other neigbouring states like Jigawa, Kebbi, Bauchi, Zamfara and Gombe.

Abacha said, “Baga is a big fishing community and people from other states especially Hausa used to stay there for fishing business, but following the attack on Baga and other towns, hundreds of people have been fleeing the area.

“One of those who fled, Mallam Isa Haruna, said the Boko Haram fighters who invaded Baga were friendly and even prayed with residents in the mosque.

“They were not concerned about us, the civilians, but their targets are the soldiers.”

Abacha noted that those fleeing the towns in Borno under Boko Haram control had lamented the hardship facing them as they have to trek miles before getting vehicles to board to Damaturu.

On his part, Mallam Bukar Kachalla, who wondered why Boko Haram usually become fierce towards election period, said dozens of people had been fleeing Borno since Saturday.

He called on the international community to help dislodge Boko Haram from the North-East.

https://punchng.com/baga-attack-we-trekked-for-two-days-without-food-say-fleeing-residents/

That's the consequences of chanting SAI BABA.

my heart goes out to them.
may God be with them.

“We trekked for two days without anything to eat. In Monguno, on Sunday, we had to board a Volkswagen Golf coming to Maiduguri. We had to jointly contribute N15, 000 which we paid the driver. Apart from some men, there were 10 children and six women in the vehicle.




War is evil, walahi.

War is something very undesirable.

One cannot but sympathize with the affected people and let no one blame them for their choice of candidate in 2015. We all make mistakes sometimes.

Buhari just won the Personality Idiot of 2019

Pattern of this Boko Haram is different from previous attack or something change, previous attack target softspot, bomb everywhere, kill civilian and Burn house. But this recent attacks only base on security personnels,things are not adding up.

Keep on shouting "sai baba" ,una never see anything...