Terrorists’ Midnight Invasion Leaves Villagers in Northeastern Nigeria in Panic

On Monday, Jan. 20, insurgents from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stormed Kawuri village in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State, North East Nigeria. The intent was not to kill but to issue a warning.

Witnesses reported that they stormed into the village, firing into the air and shouting “Allahu Akbar” upon arrival. 

They remained in the village for over an hour, displaying military power and admonition before leaving. They burned a Golf saloon car owned by a resident who used it as a taxi and two pickups belonging to BOYES (Borno Youth Empowerment Scheme) and hunters.

The warning they issued addressed the hesitation of the villagers to run errands for them. They warned that if residents failed to comply with their errand requests, which usually involve buying and transporting food, medicine, and other essential items to them in their forest hideouts, they would return to the village and “slaughter everyone house by house.” They also demanded that the CJTF stop intercepting people running their errands.

During the attack, the insurgents also planted a mine, which later exploded and killed one person.

Four months ago, ISWAP banned men from fetching firewood from the forest because the residents refused to go on errands for them. With no functioning markets and a small population unable to sustain local trade, however, survival has become even harder for locals. Firewood gathering is the common source of income in the area. As a result, women began venturing into the forest for firewood. Around 50 women were subsequently abducted by ISWAP, locals said. 

“If we catch you again, we will kill you all—not with bullets but by slaughtering you,” Alaigana Kawuri, a resident, quoted the terrorists as saying. 

Caught between the threat of violence and the spectre of hunger, residents feel trapped. “If you don’t go to the forest, hunger will kill you. It’s better to take chances,” one person remarked.

This incident comes a week after the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) captured a young man who had been caught transporting cassava flakes (gari) to the terrorists in the forests. The young man, whose brother was killed by the terror group last year while gathering firewood, is now the only one left to care for his ailing mother. Now, with him gone, his mother’s health has deteriorated, residents say.

He was reportedly beaten and handed over to military authorities for the crime.

Locals said if anyone were to go to the forest to fetch firewood, farm, or fish and come out safely, they must be doing so because they agreed to run errands for ISWAP in exchange for their safety. They alleged that it is a widespread practice among other communities, with CJTF looking the other way.

“But our CJTF here in Kawuri don’t condone that,” Ali Audu, a resident, told HumAngle.

ISWAP closely monitors farming and firewood gathering activities, forcing residents to engage in these under tacit agreements to ensure their survival.

“Here in Kawuri, you’ll be arrested if you’re caught with food items like seasoning cubes or salt. On the other hand, if you don’t cooperate with ISWAP, you can’t even go to the bush [to fetch firewood]; they will kill you,” a resident lamented.

The ISWAP invasion on Monday has fueled widespread panic, prompting many to flee their homes despite warnings from state officials against people leaving their houses empty. A resident said the government had previously said that if people vacated their houses, they would be allocated to others.

When Kawuri communities were resettled four years ago, returning residents were settled in 700 two-bedroom houses constructed by the Borno State government and provided with hoes and axes to support their farming and firewood gathering. 

The village lacks critical infrastructure such as markets and hospitals, leaving residents with firewood gathering as their primary source of income. 

Commenting on the distributed implements, locals explained that these tools have done little to improve their situation. “The government tells us to use these tools to feed ourselves, but Boko Haram still controls the forests,” one resident told HumAngle. 

Another added, “We have been given axes to feed ourselves by cutting wood in the forest, but how can we do that when the forest is not safe?”

Residents of Kawuri are appealing for interventions. “All we want is access to cut wood like other communities or for the government to provide us with food,” one resident said. They claim that since their resettlement, no food assistance has been provided by the government or any NGO, and no access to the bush has consequences. 

“If you must go to the forest, you must agree to go for terrorists’ errands, and if you are caught doing so, you will be arrested by the Civilian JTF or the army. How do they want us to eat?” locals cried.