Borno: B’Haram sends threat letter to fleeing residents

Boko Haram members

Survivors of Boko Haram attacks in the southern Borno ethnic minority communities who fled to the northern Adamawa areas of Madagali, Michika and Lasa, have received letters of further attacks from Boko Haram insurgents.

Our correspondent learnt that over 10,000 religious ethnic minority people in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State had been displaced by Boko Haram attacks in the area. The refugees are currently scattered in many communities in Adamawa and Taraba states while many have moved to the neighbouring Cameroon villages.

The fleeing Borno residents were said to have received the threat letter from Boko Haram after the insurgents launched extensive attacks on Pulka, in the Gwoza Local Government Area of the state on Sunday. Yet-to-be-determined number of people was killed in the Sunday Gwoza attacks.

Executive Director of Stefanos Foundation, Mr. Mark Lipdo, told our correspondent on Monday that he had been receiving distressed calls from the residents, who all expresses helplessness in view of the inability of the military to come to their aid.

Lipdo said, “On Sunday, we received reports that Boko Haram have also sent threat letters to these areas where the victims had been running to. They (the insurgents) asked all women and children to leave Gwoza town or face attack. Report says the militants arrived in the town today (Monday) with hijabs (Muslim veils) and food supplies to younger and average aged women.

“It is not clear what their next action may be; victims are now helpless as they have lost confidence on any government defence. Sources lamented that their people now adhere more to Boko Haram warnings than any government promises.”

Boko Haram has occupied and pounded the Gwoza Local Government Area for several months.

The area, which was formerly called Sardona Province, was a German province that was handed over to the then Sokoto Caliphate (Sardona) in the fealty 1960s to join the present day Nigeria.

There are fears from Gwoza people that Boko Haram is a religiously motivated ethnic-political pressure, designed to pound their entire area into Kanuri subjections.