Nigeria: Safety and lack of food worry families who returned home
Thousands of families are on the move in northeast Nigeria heading to remote locations. Some are going back home following the camps closure in Maiduguri. Others are fleeing areas affected by the conflict. As a result of this movements of population, living conditions are very difficult with many lacking water, food and shelter and fearing for their safety.
“We left Bakasi camp in Maiduguri after it closed late last year and returned to our home in Gwoza. Many are in the same situation or are fleeing the bush for safety”, said Jummai Mohammad, mother of ten. “We get food and firewood in the bush, but we are afraid that armed men take us, kill us, rape us, so we don’t go. We struggle to provide for our families.”
“I decided to come back to my home in Gwoza. I found it burnt and destroyed”, said Musa Hamman, farmer. “I resumed farming, but I have limited access to my fields due to security constraints. Armed men have been looting my crops. Even if we could farm normally, with the amount of people returning, we wouldn’t have enough to feed everybody.”
Since January, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Nigerian Red Cross, have been providing essential household items, such as sleeping mats, buckets and blankets to nearly 20,000 people across northeast Nigeria, including 4,170 in Gwoza this month alone. “The situation of these families is alarming, as they are already unable to provide for themselves”, said Yann Bonzon, ICRC head of delegation in Nigeria. “We call on all parties to the conflict to protect human life and dignity and to facilitate humanitarian aid to reach those in need.”
According to the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (the Kampala Convention) ratified by Nigeria in 2012, states have the primary responsibility to protect and assist displaced people.
For interview requests and enquiries please contact
Lucien Christen, Public Relations Officer (English, French), ICRC Abuja, +234 903 151 5543
Aliyu Dawobe, Public Relations Officer (Hausa & English), ICRC Abuja, +234 802 841 7085
SHOTLIST
Location: Gwoza IDP camp, Gwoza, Borno state, Nigeria
Length: 00:06:42
Format: MP4
Camera person: Adavize Baiye; Lucien Christen
Producer:
ICRC ref:
Filming date: March 22, 2022 (Gwoza) / March 23 , 2022 (Gubio camp, Maiduguri)
Copyright: ICRC access all
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00:00:00:00 – 00:00:25:32 |
Musa Hamman walks through his destroyed home. |
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00:00:25:33 - 00:00:32:37
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Soundbite: Musa Hamman, Gwoza resident |
The problems are many. Firstly, you won’t get enough time to work in the farm because
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00:00:32:37 - 00:00:37:27
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Before you can leave for the farm, the security personnel will delay you up till as late as 10am
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00:00:37:27 - 00:00:42:15
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And by midday, they will ask you to return home.
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00:00:42:16 - 00:00:49:12
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At this point we cannot say that we have enough food because all the people from villages around us now live with us in the town.
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00:00:49:13 - 00:01:01:48
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We can only go just around the town to farm. We can’t go further afield unlike before when we could go as far as Damboa or Madagali to farm. Then we had an abundance of food.
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00:01:01:49 - 00:01:05:31
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From August to September last year I was growing cassava. |
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00:01:05:32 - 00:01:12:47
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A month or two ago, it was all stolen by people in the bush. |
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00:01:12:48 - 00:01:36:13
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Shots of Adumbe’s premises |
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00:01:36:14 - 00:02:02:36
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Aerial shots of Gwoza from helicopter |
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00:02:02:37 - 00:02:04:32
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Medium shot of street in Gwoza |
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00:02:04:33 - 00:02:14:45
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Soundbite: Jummai Mohammed, Gwoza resident |
When I left Bakassi camp, I wasn’t happy about it because we knew our return here was going to be very difficult because the town is not secure enough for one to work in.
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00:02:14:45 - 00:02:25:14
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The reason we are afraid to go to the bush to farm is because those people that previously chased us away from this town are in the bush.
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00:02:25:15 – 00:02:29:11 |
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They either kill a man or they kidnap him.
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00:02:29:12 – 00:02:39:16 |
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And if you are a woman, you are either kidnapped or raped in the bush. This is why we are afraid to go to the bush.
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00:02:40:28 – 00:02:47:26 |
Wide low shot of Jummai
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00:02:47:27 – 00:02:52:18 |
Wide shot of Jummai seated with her neighbors
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00:02:52:19 – 00:02:57:10 |
Medium shot of Jummai seated with her neighbors
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00:02:57:11 – 00:03:13:30 |
Exterior of Jummai’s home
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00:03:13:31 – 00:03:23:28 |
Wide shot of street, Gwoza
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00:03:23:29 – 00:03:33:27 |
Wide shot of street, Gwoza
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00:03:33:28 – 00:03:44:36 |
Soundbite: Talatu Danjuma, Gubio camp resident, Maiduguri |
We are not against returning but we are afraid to return to the same situation that we fled. If things are different, no one will refuse their hometown and we want to live in peace….
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00:03:44:36 – 00:04:03:17 |
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But if peace is assured and we return, we will continue with our livelihood like before, our children are going to school, we are happy. But if we return and there is no school and we are afraid, we will not be happy to return.
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00:04:03:18 – 00:04:10:05 |
Medium shot of Talatu
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00:04:10:06 – 00:04:20:07 |
Pan shot from inside Talatu’s shop to outside
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00:04:20:08 – 00:04:28:22 |
Adumbe chats with Talatu through her shop window
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00:04:28:23 – 00:04:34:05 |
Soundbite: Adumbe Isa, Gubio camp resident, Maiduguri |
Our town wasn’t safe, that is why I came here. If things are ok back home, I will go back now.
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00:04:34:06 – 00:04:44:23 |
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This business has helped me a great deal. It has given me and my children peace of mind. Nothing bothers me now.
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00:04:44:24 – 00:05:04:11 |
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If they close the camp and send everyone away, what will I do? Am I going to stay here alone? I will go with the others. I won’t stay here alone. I will go where we are sent. Even there, I will continue my business.
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00:05:04:12 – 00:05:13:40 |
Close up of Adumbe’s hands (gesticulating) |
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00:05:13:41 – 00:05:32:28
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Adumbe selling maize |
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00:05:32:30 – 00:05:43:36 |
Wide shot of water point
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00:05:43:37 – 00:05:57:22
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Girl pushes a cart |
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00:05:57:23 – 00:06:06:46 |
Wide shot of firewood for sale
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00:06:06:47 – 00:06:42:24 |
Shots from ICRC distribution in Gwoza on March 22, 2022. |
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Ends
