Thousands of residents from Kirawa in Borno State, displaced by Boko Haram insurgents, are now forced to navigate a precarious existence, spending daylight in Nigeria but sleeping in Cameroon due to persistent insecurity.
Since the Saturday night attack that triggered a military pullback, many families have fled into Cameroon villages.
Survivors recounted the grim ordeal to reporters; they sleep in the open, in mosques, or even in classrooms, fearing a nighttime assault.
The District Head of Kirawa, Abdulrahman Abubakar, confirmed the hardship, urging immediate government intervention.
“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. This is the first time we are experiencing this attack since our community was resettled some years ago,” he said.
One displaced resident, Buba Aji, painted a harrowing picture:
“In the night, the experiences are usually inhumane. For instance, yesterday (Monday) night, there was a heavy rainfall… many of our residents slept. Some of us also had to take refuge in mosques, roads and classrooms because we are scared that the insurgents will return at night. The current location is Kerawa, Cameroon, Lamise, and in the streets immediately after you passed the Cameroon border.”
Abubakar emphasized the community’s vulnerability in the absence of military protection:
“As I tell you, no Nigerian soldier is in our community currently, the JTF, who are Cameroon 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 that are currently facing this,” he said.
Another displaced villager, Atahiru Lawan, revealed the scale of the exodus:
“80 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.”
Kirawa, under Gwoza Local Government Area, was reportedly attacked over the weekend, resulting in casualties and even the abduction of a schoolgirl.
