August is a “dangerous” month in northeastern Nigeria, particularly for internally displaced persons who live in damp, overcrowded and unhygienic camps. Because it is the rainy season, waterborne diseases, such as cholera and typhoid, are prevalent and mosquitoes are ever-present, spreading malaria from bite to bite.

IDPs, particularly children, are most at risk. Because starvation is their staple diet, they are malnourished, their growth is stunted and the lack of food affects their immune systems, which are virtually nonexistent, leaving them targets for contagious diseases.

Muhammadu Arabi, popularly known as Baban Marayu, lives in Gubio IDP camp in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, and he is more aware of the risks children face than just about anyone else.

For the past eight years, the father of nine has been the “caretaker” of more than 3,000 orphans.

It all started when he and his family were living peacefully in Doron Baga, close to Lake Chad, in the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. All was well until the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), better known as Boko Haram, began persistent and deadly attacks in the region.

After one particularly brutal attack, during which Baban Marayu’s son was shot dead, he and his family decided to flee for safety.

While telling RNI his story, he bowed his head and stared gloomily at the floor, saying he was not even able to bury his son’s corpse. “It is such a loss I can’t replace,” he said.

The family first fled to Niger for safety. But there were many attacks in that region too, so they continued living on the run.

“At one point,” he said, “we came across a little girl aged about five. She was next to the lake – her parents had fled, leaving her behind. We picked her up and continued fleeing. Then we came across a boy, whose parents had also left him behind. We picked him up too. We searched for their parents until we reached Gaidam in Nigeria, which shares a border with Niger. But, after spending three days there, we still could not find their parents.”

Officials of the Borno State government took the family and two orphans to Maiduguri, placing them in the Gubio Camp, a shelter for IDPs.

He said soon after moving into the camp, it became clear that there were many orphans living there.

During a meeting in the camp, a group called Isa suggested that all the orphans be placed among different families and that a leader should be appointed among the IDPs to oversee the care of the children.

“No one volunteered. My wife said we should look after the orphans because we already had two in our care. I raised my hand and I was chosen as the ‘Father of the Orphans’ of Gubio camp.”

He said 43 orphans were put in his care and he ensured that they were provided shelter and food.

“More and more orphans arrived and, in the past eight years I have been the caretaker of more than 3,000 kids. Right now, we have 950 in the camp. The rest were returned to their communities in Gwozo, Doron Baga and Gamboru to live with their relatives.

“In the beginning, the orphans received blankets, food, clothes, detergents and medical help – some even attended lessons in schools – from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), such as the IOM [the International Organisation for Migration], UNICEF [the United Nations Children’s Fund], CRACK [a detention centre in Maiduguri], SEMA [the Borno State Emergency Management Agency], WFP [World Food Programme], the Red Cross and other volunteers. I also have a fishing net business and I use the little profit I get to help the orphans.”

Baban Marayu said before the orphans were allowed to return to their communities, they vetted the relatives carefully before handing the children over.

“When relatives arrive to claim children, we ask the children at least five tricky questions and ask them to name their relatives. We then compare the answers the children give with the answers of their relatives. If they do not match, we refuse to hand them over.”

But, he said, it had now been nine months since the NGOs and volunteers had been to the camp. They had not received any food aid. Medical staff at the two clinics in the camp had packed their belongings and left. And there were no medicines available.

“One of the main problems is that the NGOs no longer come to the camp. I don’t know why. And that’s why everyone is hungry. There is no food. People are starving.”

He said he had managed to get scholarships from schools, barracks and other agencies to enrol as many of the children they could in schools.

“Luckily, 40 children were granted scholarships recently and 15 are on the verge of graduation,” he said.

“The issue of education is deteriorating because of the conditions in the camp. The orphans who should be in school are the ones doing domestic work in houses outside the camp, selling water and doing other chores just to get some money to buy food. If our children’s stomachs are empty, how can they even think of attending classes? It’s frustrating.”

Baban Marayu said his kids were begging even though he was trying his best to get them to go to school outside the camp and then to beg again after school hours.

He said he was dreading the arrival of the month of August because “there will be many deaths”.

In each shelter there were at least three family members – there were no mosquito nets, no food, no medication and no proper sanitation facilities, he said.

“I’m afraid that cholera or typhoid might break out because it’s the rainy season. The camp is damp and unhygienic. The clinics have closed, so if we get sick we have to go to medical facilities outside the camp, which most of us cannot afford. Many children have already died of malnutrition. When diseases strike, the children’s bodies have little to no immunity and they die almost instantly. More and more children are ending up in graves.

“Hunger is our biggest problem. Some camp residents farm outside the camp, others do domestic chores. Some collect and sell firewood or water. Most of us use the little we get to buy maize to cook and eat. That is what happens every day.”

He said if the government did not help the IDPs in Gubio soon, some of the residents could leave the camp and rejoin the JAS insurgents in their villages because there was nothing left for them inside the camp or in the city.

Baban Marayu said everyone in the camp needed help. He did not think the authorities were aware of just how bad the living conditions were.

“We are pleading with authorities to please come to our aid. We need hospitals and food, as well as better and more sanitation facilities. If we don’t get help urgently, a lot of people might die in this camp. August could be our month of death.”

AISHA SD JAMAL