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1000 women and children sleep on Maiduguri street for fear of Boko Haram attack

This picture taken on July 26, 2019 shows the city gate of Maiduguri along Bulumkutu road. - Two people were killed and several wounded when Boko Haram fighters raided a camp for people displaced by the jihadist conflict outside Maiduguri, emergency services said on July 26, 2019. Dozens of Islamist militants on motorcycles and two motorised rickshaws stormed into Dalori camp on Thursday, shooting people and looting food supplies after overrunning a nearby military base. (Photo by FATI ABUBAKAR / AFP) (Photo by FATI ABUBAKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

By Michael Olukayode, Maiduguri

Residents of Kayamla in Borno State have taken to sleeping on Maiduguri street for fear of being attacked by Boko Haram.
The people numbering about 1000 from about 300 households have been sleeping on a street in Maiduguri when they were turned back by internally displaced persons camps on arrival about two weeks ago.
Kayamla in Konduga local government area of troubled Borno State and about 20 kilometres from the state capital Maiduguri.
 The people who were seen beside the NYSC IDPs camp in the centre of Maiduguri, said they had to flee into Maiduguri when villages around them was attacked and they felt they may be raided by Boko Haram.
They said they tried to get admitted in some internally displaced persons camps in Maiduguri but were turned back and they subsequently decided to sleep on the road.
 Speaking to our correspondent on Monday morning the women said their husband sent them into Maiduguri to seek refuge while they stay back in Kayamla.
One of the women, Maimunat Abba said: “We have been staying here for about two weeks now, we have no choice but to sleep on the street since we were turn back from the camps.
“Even this camp (NYSC IDPs camp) told us that they do not have room for us and we decided to stay on the road. We have been sleep in the cold since then.”
She added that: “All the money on them have been exhausted and they find it difficult to have a decent meal.”
She narrated that they decided to flee into Maiduguri when it was becoming apparent that their village might be attacked as other around them have been attacked with the people deserted the place.
The people however were subsequently taken off the streets to the Stadium IDPs camp by the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (BISEMA) on Monday afternoon.
They were equally given supply of relief materials by the North East Development Commission.
Speaking to journalists, the Chairperson of BOSEMA, Hajiya Yabawa Kolo said the state government got to know of their predicaments few hours ago and immediately they arranged accommodation for them at the Stadium IDPs camp.
She revealed that they are about 300 households and numbered over a thousand.

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