I am the spokesman of the Abuja-based IDP camps and I double as the coordinator of the Abuja IDPs’ health project. I want to tell you the truth about the IDPs. I arrived in Abuja on 3rd March, 2011. So, I’ve spent 15 years in the camp here. At that time, Southern Borno was not even captured. It was in 2014, three years later, that Boko Haram invaded and captured parts of Southern Borno and parts of Adamawa. Then the number of IDPs increased.
I was 21 years old when I started working with FRCN and later NTA. And I’m a resident of Durumi IDP camp. I’ve never married, I’ve never had a child, and I have time for humanity. As I said, I was 72 years young on May 23rd, 2026.
To me, it’s a privilege to be the spokesman of the IDPs because I found myself at the front fora. I was invited to speak on behalf of IDPs in Nigeria. Sometimes, on short notice. Until a few years ago, when they stopped me because I’m very vocal.
Ignoring the IDPs does not augur well for the future of this great country. Ignoring the IDPs is going to add more problems to Nigeria than solving them. I was just telling you that for almost 24 hours, I had only one meal. So, if, as a privileged man who went to school, I cannot access food, you can imagine how a kid, a suckling baby and others will access food. So, what am I saying? 99% of the food we eat, or 99.5%, comes from individuals. Not the government.
A lot of people who reach out to the IDPs to assist, but find us to be very, very complicated. Some have the courage to continue. Some withdraw. We are people who have passed through a lot of trauma. I’ve never trained in the medical profession. But I came to know that women who escaped 10 years ago deliver babies with trauma. When I see the behaviour of the children here, I’m beginning to know this is trauma.
The fact that the IDPs are peculiar people deserves the attention of the federal government of Nigeria and all the companies.
This is a humanitarian crisis. It deserves attention. That 99% of the food we eat comes from individuals is a sorry story. And then as I told you, this classroom was built by three NYSC members. One girl, two boys. Look at the beautiful classroom. They arrived here in 2016. But look at what the government built. It was made with bamboo. Bamboo. (How can you come and build a classroom with bamboo? Are you in a zoo?) Look at their signboard there. Is it not a shame that three young people will build this, and then the government, in collaboration with a foundation, will build that bamboo classroom?
So, this is actually the predicament of the IDPs. Our people used to ask me, “Baba, what is the way out?” I cannot say. I cannot proffer a solution or advice. But I always say one thing. No one man, no single individual or organisation, can help the IDPs. It is so bad. Because we are about 60,000. The government says 30-something thousand. But I know we are above 60,000 IDPs in Abuja alone. So it needs a multisectoral approach. Multisectoral partnerships. Experts will come into it and assist the enormity of the problem. You understand?
Anyhow you approach it, it is going to be a fire brigade approach… A lot of us have gone into unwholesome behaviour, into criminality. That is dangerous. An ordinary human being becoming a criminal is one thing. But a demented human becoming a criminal is more dangerous. Since we are victims of trauma and stigmatisation by the Nigerian society, we are more dangerous than the normal criminal.
The normal criminal may commit something and repent. Maybe they are driven by hunger, youthful exuberance, or peer pressure. Ehn, me too, I want to wear the clothes. He does it. He may say what I am doing is bad. But not the IDPs. Once they take to it, there is no going back. Why is this so? Because we are not seeing God in action. I am sorry to use these words. A hungry man is an angry man. And hunger has no friend. So that aspect makes the IDP, once he turns his back against society, he is going to do it without Jesus Christ, without Muhammad, without the Holy Bible, without the Quran.
So they are turning the IDPs into nominal Christians. They are turning the IDPs into nominal Muslims. That does not augur well.
You know part of why I don’t feel hungry. Sometimes, the problem of my people messes me (up) and I don’t feel hungry. I feel like I have eaten. And I didn’t know. Before, if I’m hungry, I used to be worried. I didn’t know that the problem of my people is so full. If I eat once now, I feel okay. Ulcer sef that used to worry me, I used to pray over it.
Our farms are gone forever. Rivers, where we used to go fishing, we can’t access them again. I’ll show you before you go, how they carted away about 416 women and children. Just about one and a half months (ago). Boko Haram carried them till today. So you see. Some of us have been here for 12 years, 10 years. I’ve been here for 15 years plus. And the problem has made other IDPs arrive as recently as two, three weeks ago. So you can see the problem.
Thank God that we live in a global village where bad news moves and everything goes viral. All these insurgencies by the Boko Haram in our area are boldly advertised to the world. Even the terrorists themselves used to put it online for more to see. I think, apart from having an inferiority complex, they want you to know they exist and they are equal to the task… The so-called repentant Boko Haram are not repentant at all. They are treated better than IDPs. They ask them to open accounts. They give them stipends every month. They have GSM phones. They used to give them startup capital, but not the victims. So can you imagine someone who lies that he has repented or that he was captured by force by the army, now he’s saying he’s repentant. But in his heart, he’s not repentant. Treated better than the victim. Better than somebody whose father was killed. Better than somebody whose mother was killed. Better than somebody whose wife was killed. Better than somebody whose sister, siblings were killed. The killer now becomes more important.
You know when you say, “See that person na him kill my mama o.” He will go and report you to the soldiers. Say, “Look at him, he’s calling me Boko Haram.” Soldiers will come and bundle you and maltreat you. So they have turned out to be defenders of the unrepentant repentants. That’s dangerous for Nigeria. It’s dangerous for the global village. Because it may look like a local event, but it may have a global impact. We are victims of terrorists and terrorism. And we are turning into terrorism and terrorists. And our own terrorism will be worse than the terrorists that made us, that terrorise us.
I told you I’m in charge of the health projects of the IDPs in Abuja. Do you know that for the past six years plus, no IDP has been admitted in any hospital in Abuja? Why? Because we have not been paying bills. I remember I was walking when I marched a nail. Look at it. It came out through here. You understand what I mean? I couldn’t go for healthcare. I didn’t have the money. When I had enough, I cared about feeding. And since I’m ignorant about health issues, I didn’t know it would turn into tetanus. About two and a half months later, I started to feel pain. Pain became more pain. Everything became serious. They tried giving me one, two injections. It didn’t work. They prescribed for me Augmentin, Lenthodex cough syrup and ORS. That’s how I got the prescription. I’m just giving you an example.
So, if at 72, the Nigerian society cannot even help me to acquire medication, cannot allow me to access food. And I’ve gone to school a bit. You can imagine what an illiterate old man or young man or young woman will pass through. If, as privileged as I am, I cannot access food or medication, you can imagine the less privileged.
I want to appeal to people out there to rise to the challenge. We are in crisis in Nigeria. Tinubu didn’t build the crisis. It started far back. To find a solution to it, you must look at it from all angles. How can somebody go into a school, kidnap 42, 50, 100? Is it normal?
Let those religious leaders ginger the society to the reality about God. Live and let live. Let and let others live. Everybody has a day he comes into the world and a day he departs. If people like JF Kennedy could be killed, far back in 1963, when I was just about nine years old, for his goodness to mankind. Mahatma Gandhi was killed in 1948. A lot of examples. So the issue is not Buhari, Tinubu, no no no. You and me, as individuals, do we trust the Bible? Do we trust the Holy Quran? If we trust it, oh God, forgive us our trespasses. It’s enough reward. We have our own. Husband to wife. Wife to husband. Siblings. Teacher to student. He wants to sleep with her before he passes her. She will go and entice one so she can pass the exam. Or she will go and entice one young man. She’s a lecturer. I’m just giving examples. That’s what I mean. So all this corruption – we don’t look at it. We look at Tinubu. We look at Shetimma, Vice President. He’s from my place, but when I look at the society as a whole…
I want to tell you that the issue of our people turning to criminality is real. It’s not everybody I tell this story to. So, a situation where my own son or grandson will now attack your daughter or your son for no fault of your own. That’s what I mean. As long as we suffer demolition. Look at it. A major part of this camp has been demolished. I will show you the place in a few minutes. You understand. So if it is like that, and nobody has come out to ask Wike why did you do it. With pride, they told people that there are criminals in the camp. Three thousand, five hundred and forty human beings are scattered all over this area. You say there are criminals.
There are criminals in Mecca. There are criminals in Medina. There are criminals in Jerusalem. Yes, where you have the holy shrines of the world. Masjid-al-Aqsa. Masjid-al-Haram, the Prophet’s Mosque. So if there are criminals all over the world, why should you come and kill all the refugees because of a few people? Whoever is involved in criminal acts in the environment… We met human beings in this environment. We call it the host community. So we cannot all be bad.
Look at the children. Look at the children. Not up to 30 percent of our children go to school. And that’s what I mean. This effort by these people is a different thing. Not even up to 30 percent. Highest 40 percent. 60 to 65 percent are out of school. And an idle man is the devil’s workshop. Where there is idleness, it’s a fertile ground for good purposes or for bad purposes. It can easily be recruited. Because the brain is empty. No morals. No lessons.
It was in May, towards the middle or end, Wike reached here with his convoy. He stopped over maybe for about 20 minutes and left. I was told. I did not see him. So I was shocked and dismayed when a demolition squad reached out to me in less than a week or two weeks after his visit. So all this environment, about seven hectares of land, which were occupied by IDPs in Durumi, is now demolished; you can see it.
You see that wall built, there was no wall there. Sometimes they demolish to satisfy the landowners so they can sell their land. They didn’t give us one year notice, six month notice, three month notice, not even a week’s notice.
Most of us live outside. So, if a minister can effect such demolition, and nobody challenges it, nobody has asked him. Where is the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria? Where is the Federal Ministry of Justice? Citizens’ Rights Department? I don’t have the means; I would have reached out to them… Because the people need intervention, people are sleeping outside. People who cannot feed twice, three times a day. You now demolished [their shelters].
So if they say there are criminals, everywhere there are criminals, I don’t know the criminals they are talking about. The police know the criminals. I saw a few, but I don’t know all. And I’m seeing how a policeman can catch drugs somewhere, come and sell them. Or NDLEA will come and bring drugs and sell them. The person who is supposed to catch drugs is now selling them to dealers. That is my predicament. Left, right, forward, backwards, up, down, I’m challenged by different forces. So as the steps are taken to ameliorate, to effect justice against the injustice, these people you see will emerge into terrorism.
And I told you, I will repeat it. It is more dangerous for a man that passed through neglect, negligence, trauma, and stigma to be subjected to this type of life. When he becomes a criminal, he is more dangerous than the ordinary criminal. Because in his life there will not be room for Mohammed, or Jesus, or the Quran, or the Bible. He is anti-human. So that mindset, society in Nigeria should rise up. If it is 60,000 IDPs in Abuja. If it is these 3,540 IDPs in Durumi — we have increased now with the recent attacks by Boko Haram — let something be done for the IDPs. Let something be done, because it may be too late.
Boko Haram are favoured more than the victims in our area. At home, we are not safe. The victims are treated worse than the people who victimised them. In the diaspora, in Abuja again, look at what we are passing through.
So if there are any individuals in the banking industry, food industry, hospitality, whatever. With their CSR, corporate social responsibility, they can reach out to me, Idris, in terms of collaboration. I’m not asking for any, how do I put it, empowerment, to become a businessman or to be Dangote. No no no! With the remaining years I have on earth, if I can have access to accommodation, move some of my things inside and I have enough like this thing [smart phone], it’s a good thing. I can document all these crimes, take them to the Federal Ministry of Justice and say, look at what it is. Reach out to the National Human Rights Commission. Look at what it is. And then I can copy the IG, Minister of Defence. I can use the media, their own phone numbers, send it to them, so they will know something exists that they cannot tolerate.
When they are packing this money, whether legally or illegally, they want their family to enjoy it. But if this same family they are keeping the money for come to be attacked by the IDPs, it makes sense to save the IDPs from the bad leaders of the camp, and it’s good to save the Nigerians from the bad IDPs. So anyway assistance can come to free these people from the leadership of the camp, which the government has folded its hands… then I think, by the time the IDPs will breathe fresh air, the world will be shocked to hear their story. That under the canopy of the presidency, the National Assembly, and the judiciary, people – victims of war – are persecuted.
I pray God Almighty to continue to protect all of you and grant you sound health. Your mother’s prayers, your father’s prayers, will always be with you. Forward ever, backwards never.
As narrated by: Idris Ibrahim Halilu (Durumi, Abuja).
Discover more from Chronycles
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Published by