Friday, March 2, 2012

BOKO HARAM: Tension Grips Christians, Muslims In Northern Nigeria

Irrespective of religion, ethnicity or political affiliation, many residents in violence-ravaged northern cities and towns are living in absolute fear for their lives and property. Investigations by our correspondents revealed that Muslims as well as Christians feel besieged and are in a heightened state of alert.
“The insecurity arising from the activities of the Boko Haram sect has increased tension among both Muslims and Christians in the region,” said a security source in Abuja.
In Kano, SaharaReporters noticed that some mosques have put in place internal security measures to monitor worshippers as they pray. Some of the recruited security hands position themselves afar and look for any suspicious people that may pose potent threats to worshippers.
A Muslim cleric who preaches regularly in Kano’s biggest mosque said, “We are in a tense situation now. We all saw what happened after Mogrib prayer at a mosque in Shaka, here in Kano. The Boko Haram people came and killed about five persons. All these attacks have led to us to be vigilant. So you can see it is not about Muslims or Christians. It is terrorism against all of us as people in the north, and government must act to win back confidence. Some of our Christian brothers are accusing us, but we are the worst victims of the Boko Haram onslaught. It is something the world doesn’t know.”

The source added that business and other economic activities in the once booming city of Kano have taken a sharp downturn. “The business activities of Kano are yet to pick after the bomb attacks. You cannot compare it to what used to be obtainable. Some of my associates are lamenting because there are no more business linkages. The people from other regions no longer come to Kano en masse as they used to do. The luxury buses that used to frequent Kano now stop in Abuja, Kaduna or Zaria for the fear of the unknown.”
In the North-East axis, the hotbed of the Boko Haram menace, the economic crisis and social cost of violence are evident. All the popular fish markets in Borno and Yobe that used to bustle with thousands of people from all parts of the country have been grounded, reduced to mere shadows of their former selves.
A source in Maiduguri described the Baga International Fish Market as an example of the near-extinction of business activities. “You go there and it is now a local market,” he said. 

The flight of many traders is reportedly a critical factor. “Thousands of traders and workers have fled both Yobe and Borno state. And the same situation has happened in Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Plateau, which is close to Bauchi. In Borno, the reality is now catching little children as their schools are now vulnerable as targets.”
Our correspondents who interviewed people in beleaguered towns in Plateau, Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa, Benue and some parts of Abuja came away with accounts of residents, Christians and Muslims, testifying to the primacy of fear in their lives. Many churches and mosques are now under constant human surveillance. Some of the places of worship are exploring the possibility of installing electronic surveillance systems to enhance their monitoring capability.
A pastor of an evangelical church in Jos told a correspondent, “My congregation has been reduced by more than half. Many people have traveled home to their states. And those who are in town are afraid to come out and worship because they don’t know if they will be safe.” He added that, unless the situation was quickly arrested, the situation may arise whereby soldiers have to keep guard to enable people to worship on Sunday.
Another element in the situation is that people in their homes are now extremely conscious of security issues. “We try to monitor movement around our homes,” said a resident of Minna in Niger Delta. He said his brother lives in Kano where soldiers patrol the streets, but that the presence of soldiers “does not mean the people are safe.”
In some neighborhoods in several northern states, many residents of violence-affected communities have also set up local vigilante groups and other volunteer groups to ward off possible attacks. “We use turn by turn system to watch what is happening so that if we see anybody suspicious, we search him,” said a resident of Damaturu.
In many towns in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa and Katsina, groups of locals have assumed responsibility for reporting any new or unusual faces noticed loitering in communities.

Source : Sahara Reporters 

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