Homeless. Sake of Boko Haram

•The story of Yobe natives fleeing from Boko Haram

Natives of Yobe State, particularly the non-muslims have been fleeing their homes in recent times and they have been running to any other state where they think they can be safe and sleep with their two eyes closed. Safety and sleeping are what these runaway non-muslims have been missing in their homes in Yobe State since the Boko Haram launched their attacks in the city.
Not less that 400 of them are currently in Jos, Plateau State capital. Some of them who do not feel comfortable in Jos have moved to Nasarawa State. Thousands of others are currently stranded in Yobe and looking forward to any miracle that will evacuate them.
Moist of the runaway non-muslims, though natives of Yobe State, have lost their homes to Boko Haram, their house demolished and even churches where some of them ran to for refuge were besieged by the Boko Haram. To prevent them from taking refuge anywhere in Yobe, no church building was spared in the organised attacks by Boko Haram.
As if Boko Haram was still pursuing them, Yobe non-muslims ran and never look back, crossing several states before stopping in Jos. Some of them even refused to stop in Jos, they proceeded to Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The population of the displaced non-muslims from Yobe started arriving Jos in tens and hundreds and in a matter of three days, over 400 of them have massed up in Jos. This forced the leadership of the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) to raise a committee to cater for the new challenge. The Chairman of the ECWA Emergency and Conflict Management Committee, Rev. Etannibi Alemika, while addressing the displaced Christians at ECWA Bishara 2 in Tudun Wada Jos said: “These are victims of the organised persecution going on in Yobe State. They are natives of Yobe State; they are not settlers but they have to run away from their land because of organised attack against them.”
He added: “In the face of this organised attack against these innocent citizens of Nigeria, the government of Yobe State and the Federal Government have failed to guarantee their safety in their home land and they have to run as far as Plateau State. They have chosen Jos as their destination because the churches they worship in Yobe State have their headquarters in Jos. Most of them are followers and worshipers of ECWA church; some of them belong to COCIN church and the two churches were founded in Jos; so Jos is home to most Christians in the north and they have no where else to go.”
The ECWA headquarters is pleading with concerned Nigerians and governments to help in evacuating thousands of non-muslims currently stranded in Yobe and looking for any opportunity to escape the terror.
A 76-year-old man, Yakubu El-Shehu, a Karai by tribe from Portiskum, managed to escaped to Jos with the 11 members of his families. He is a retired civil servant having worked in the Yobe State Ministry of Lands and Survey as a Land Welfare Officer. He told The Nation that he had to flee his native home in Portiskum to escape what he described as “persecution of Christians in Yobe State by Boko Haram”.
He said: “An old man like me does not run for nothing; the horror brought to Yobe State by Boko Haram is too much to be described by words of mouth, but I thank God, no member of my family was harmed. I brought them safely to Jos but as for our house, we can’t tell, they must have destroyed it as we left because all the houses belonging to Christians were earmarked for destruction. Hence, we have to run to save our lives”.
Another man in the same age bracket with El- Shehu is Rev. Ali Mainasara. He also escaped to Jos with his children and grand children. He told The Nation: “We Christians are the target of Boko Haram in Yibe State. We saw them coming and so, we have to run; there is no security to help you, the best option is to run fast and we found ourselves in Jos.”
Mr. Manzam Tinja, a retired Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in his 60s, is from Fika Local government area of Yobe State. He is from Ngoma tribe. He is also in Jos as a refugee with his family members. After spending five days at the ECWA church in Tudunwada Jos, his in-law, a lecturer at the University of Jos, discovered him and took him and his family home.
A staff of the Federal Information Department in Plateau State, who hails from Yobe Saude, Daniel Dogo, had to go to the displaced persons’ camp at the ECWA church to rescue some of those who fled their homes in Yobe. He is currently hosting 10 members of a family in his house.
Likewise, many of the Yobe displaced persons have been accommodated by some Christians in Jos to fend for them. The ECWA church is thus pleading with other good-spirited individuals in Jos to come to the aid of the remaining 177 displaced persons still sleeping outside in the cold harsh weather in Jos.
Rev. Alemika made the call while distributing relief materials to those at the ECWA church Tudun-Wada Jos. The church had assembled assorted food items and housed hold items like detergents, beverages, mats, blakets, mattresses and clothings to be distributed to the displaced persons who are still taking refuge at ECWA church, Tudun Wada Jos.
According to Rev. Alemika, “We have over 400 of them, men, women, aged and children who had escaped the persecution going on particularly in Damaturu and Portiskum. Many of them have been killed in the Boko Haram’s organised attacks going on in Yobe State. These families taking refuge here are lucky to have escaped to Jos.
“Some of them have proceeded to Nasarawa State. Of the 400 we have in Jos here, most of them have been received by some Christian families in Jos and have given them accommodation, but we still have about 177 of these displaced Christians taking refuse in the church. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to individuals, corporate organisations and governments to come to the aid of these innocent people who are being persecuted to provide help for them in terms of accommodation and feeding. The church alone cannot cater for them; the church has been exhausted so far.”
Pastor Jerimiah Bangunu, the Chairman Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Yobe State chapter, who came to the camp to address the displaced persons, called on Plateau people to help the victims who ran from Yobe to Jos. He said: “Over 100 families have managed to escape to Jos and Nasarawa. About 200 families numbering over a thousands are still hanging out in Yobe crying to be evacuated from the danger zone. Who will help them and bring them to safety? Their houses have been burnt down and many of them have been killed, we need emergency help.