As a statement to the ravaging effect of the almost five-year-old insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria, traditional institutions, mostly in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, have paid dearly for it, as presently, half of the emirates in Borno, one each in Adamawa and Yobe are existing without their emirs who have relocated to safer environments in the last three months.
In Borno State, the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Garbai Alamin Elkanemi, now has five first-class emirs taking refuge within his domain, after their emirates had been overrun by Boko Haram sect. They include the Emir of Bama, His Royal Highness Mai Kyari Elkanemi; the Emir of Dikwa, Alhaji Abba Tor Shehu Masta; the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Muhammadu Idrissa Timta, the Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ali Ibn Ismaila Mamzam and the Emir of Askiram, Alhaji Abdullahi Askirama, who have now relocated to Maiduguri, the state capital.
In Yobe State, the Emir of Gujba, Alhaji Mukhtar Ibn Ali Gangaran, has fled to Damaturu, the state capital, after Boko Haram annexed his emirate as part of their domain, while in Adamawa State, the Emir of Mubi, with over 24 districts under it, is currently staying in Yola, the state capital.
Not just the emirs, but hundreds of district heads and inhabitants of those districts have also relocated and currently taking refuge in other safer domains. Even those few domains that the Nigerian military have succeeded in reclaiming from the clutches of the insurgents have not been inhabited because most have been bombed, vandalised or burnt down.
For example, the magnificent palace of the Shehu of Dikwa, built some five years ago after the regime of former Borno State governor, Ali Sheriff had split the old Dikwa emirate and relocated its headquarters from Bama to Dikwa town, is currently being occupied by a new Shehu called Bulama Yaga, a vicious Boko Haram kingpin.
Similarly in Bama town, the beautiful brick palace of the Emir of Bama, that had suffered serious attacks earlier this year, is now being occupied by one Mohammed Danjuma, who was recently crowned as the “emir” of Bama by Boko Haram leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau.
On August 5, 2014, the historic town of Gwoza in Borno State came under the conquests of Boko Haram terrorists, who did not only massacre soldiers and residents, but also hoisted their flags there, as residents fled for their lives. The conquest of Gwoza came three weeks after the insurgents had hoisted their flags in Damboa town, where over 17,000 people were forced to flee for dear life.
Even before Boko Haram assumed territorial control of Gwoza and Damboa towns, the insurgents had literally sacked hundreds of villages and hamlets scattered around Konduga, Bama, Damboa, Kala-Balge and Gwoza local government areas of Borno State.
Though the military had been able to reclaim some of the captured towns, Gwoza with an area that covers 2,883 km² and a population of 276,312 people (according to the 2006 census) has remain under Boko Haram’s control.
To the people of Damboa, a town that is famed for being a food production hub of Borno State, Boko Haram has destroyed virtually every structure that dotted the town and its surrounding communities. This is because the town has been attacked about six times.
Mubi Emirate Council which is located on the northern fringes of Adamawa State is the second largest emirate council in the state, consisting of five local government areas that include Maiha, Mubi North, Mubi South, Michika and Madagali.
The town was taken over by Boko Haram sect while the Emir of Mubi, Alhaji Abubakar Isah Ahmadu, was in Saudi Arabia as the state Amirul Hajj. Currently, since coming back from Hajj, the emir now resides in Yola, pending the restoration of his emirate.
Troops Block Food, Fuel Supplies To Insurgents-controlled Areas
Meanwhile, the Nigerian military authorities have adopted new strategies in combating the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents by cutting off food supplies and other essentials from reaching northern parts of Adamawa State that is under the control of the insurgents.
Reports indicated that the troops have mounted surveillance since last week along the Yola-Mubi highway which is the gateway to the northern parts of Adamawa State, bedevilled by insurgency.
Several trucks carrying foodstuff, fuel and other basic commodities have been prevented from reaching northern parts of the state in other to make life difficult for the insurgents, a resident of the area, Mallam Shehu, disclosed.
Our correspondent who was at the foot of the Jimeta bridge, the only link to northern part of the state, witnessed trucks carrying foodstuff and other essentials being turned back from proceeding on their journey, while those coming from the northern part to the state capital were also prevented from entering the state capital.
Impeccable security sources revealed that the measure is a deliberate strategy to prevent food and other essentials from reaching the insurgents, with the hope that it will quicken the end of the insurgency.
People of the five local government areas of Maiha, Mubi North, Mubi South, Michika and Madagali, who are under the control of the insurgents, have come under severe hardship, following the restriction placed on food and petroleum products in and out of the zone.
Security sources also said the measure has started yielding dividends as the insurgents have been put under severe hardship, resulting to the recapture of Gombi and Hong by government troops.
Many parts like Girei, Song, Hong and Gombi which are free from the snares of the insurgents are said to be facing tough times following acute shortage of gasoline, as many filling stations have been forced to shut down.
The blockade has also made cattle herders and dealers in foodstuff to suffer serious losses as they could not move with their wares to mostly southern parts of the country where they could market them.
However, the blockade which came into effect in the wake of the recapture of Hong, Gombi and Pella recently has resulted in friction between farmers and Fulani herdsmen, as the Fulanis who were said to be frustrated, allowed their herds to roam into farms leading to violent clashes that claimed about five lives
A resident of Dumme, who simply identified himself as Mallam Inusa, said clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsmen believed to be fleeing the fighting in Mubi have heightened in the area following the blockade of the routes leading to southern parts of the state by Nigerian troops.
“Five young men were killed in a skirmish involving them and some Fulani herdsmen who had encroached into their farmlands. The fight between farmers and cattle herdsmen has increased in the area since the herdsmen resorted to using the Dumme axis to get out of the troubled territories to neighbouring Gombe State,” Inusa said.
The Adamawa flank remains an important conduit for the insurgents to take supply of cash, foods and fuel through their accomplices.
A reliable military source claimed that some of the herdsmen have been denied their sedentary movement over suspicion by military that they are been used by the insurgents, hence the decision to restrict their mobility and checkmate the insurgents.
Source: Leadership
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