Tension in the air as shooting at Modu Kasa camp causes suspicion and wariness between IDPs, soldiers and civilian joint task force members.

The Nigerian Armed Forces and members of the civilian joint task force (CJTF) have accused a suspected internally displaced person (IDP) of shooting and wounding a soldier at a camp in Dikwa in Borno State.

The incident occurred at the Modu Kasa IDP just before midnight on Sunday, September 24.

The army said the unknown gunman, presumably a resident at Modu Kasa, had shot at soldiers nearby the camp.
A curfew was immediately imposed.

The incident has triggered extreme tension, fear and suspicion among the displaced people and the security operatives.
Bakura Abatcha, chairman of Modu Kasa IDP camp in Dikwa, told RNI the army claimed that an unknown gunman opened fire on them from inside the camp, severely wounding a soldier in the leg.

“Someone shot the soldier at about 11.30pm. The soldiers and members of the CJTF rushed inside the camp and started shooting into the air. They gathered all the IDPs, including women and children, in one place. Later, they told the women and children to return to their shelters.
“The soldiers and CJTF members held the men for almost three hours interrogating them to see if they could find the culprit. At about 3am the men were allowed to return to their shelters.

“I told the soldiers that there are more than 7, 760 people living in Modu Kasa and that camp officials can identify them all based on location, names and status. So, I said to them that I did not think the unknown gunman lives here and that maybe he came from somewhere else and took position inside the camp before attacking the soldiers. I told them the man must have wanted to cause trouble between the soldiers and those living in the camp.”

Abatcha said he had reported the incident to the chairman of the Dikwa Local Government Area and to officials from the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) so that they could intervene and find solutions to the misunderstanding and suspicion that now exists between the soldiers and the IDPs. But, he said, they had not responded so far.

Ya Fusam Bukar, a displaced woman who lives at Modu Kasa, said she became “totally terrified” when she heard the gunshots.

“The women and children were running in all directions when the soldiers and CJTF members came into the camp to investigate the incident at midnight. Nothing like this has ever happened and it has resulted in a misunderstanding between the IDPs and the military.”

Ali Mohammed, also resident at the camp, said that this was the first time the soldiers and the CJTF members had accused IDPs or suspected anything about them.

He said Modu Kasa was one of the biggest IDP camps in the Dikwa Local Government Area.

“Thousands of displaced persons have been taking refuge here for almost eight years now. There have never been any problems with the military and other security operatives until this happened.

“The soldiers are worried about the incident because their outpost is very close to the IDP camp. There is just one road that separates the camp from the outpost. That’s why the military has put in stringent security measures within and outside the camp and has imposed a curfew. Women and children are not allowed to move around outside the camp. All IDPs must return to the camp by 4pm and everyone has to go to bed by 9pm. The military also asked some of the IDPs who live the closest to the outpost to vacate their shelters and move further away.”

Mohammed told RNI that none of the IDPs were beaten or tortured by the soldiers and CJTF members.

“They have increased security inside the camp. But they have also beefed up security in the nearby forests. They don’t want any similar incidents to reoccur. The soldiers also told all the IDPs to report any suspicious persons, movements or objects to the relevant security operatives immediately.”

The military have not issued a statement regarding the incident as yet.

SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO