Hundreds Of Baga Residents Fleeing Town Over Rumour Of Impending Attack

Residents of Baga town in Kukawa local government area of the troubled northeastern state of Borno have been fleeing their town following rumour of impending attack by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

Mallam Umar Saidu, a leader of a community in Baga Town who stormed Maiduguri, the Borno state capital along with 30 other families told newsmen that, they have been told that, the Nigerien Army has withdrawn its troops from the multi- national joint task force in Baga, a situation which he said, has instilled fear in the residents that, the Nigerian Troops along can not handle the situation if Boko Haram comes to attack.

"A lot of people have been leaving their homes to safe places, because the Boko Haram have been making attempts to attack Baga but for the multi-national joint task force which has been repelling them. Last week we were told that, Niger was withdrawing its troops and there was another rumour that, other nations will be withdrawing their troops.

We do not know the problem but taking safety measure is very important at such rumours because we are current on the situation in Nigeria. We heard the number of people that were killed in Mubi and how our soldiers fled." Umar said.

Another resident of Baga Mr. Banjo Simon told Our correspondent that, he has taken his family out of Borno state since 2011, but he has to stay behind and work in order to feed his family who are now residing in Kwara state.

He said, " everybody in my office in Baga is leaving, even indigenes, so, I have no option than to leave also. This crises is taking different shape everyday and government did not seem to be doing enough. I was listening to the Radio and quite agree with the Senate President David Mark that this situation is not about Declaring state of emergency but called for the use of all available resources to declare total war on the Boko Haram."

According to him, crises has been left to linger for too long and some of the insurgents have already penetrated parts of the country in many pretense from nail cutters to orange seller and what have you.

Simon said although he is a northerner but to say the fact, is that the north has been too selfish to allow the crises to reach the stage where we are now. " the north keeps blaming the Jonathan administration for the trouble they created and they want all Nigerians to believe them. When the president was declaring mild state of emergency on the three northern state in the first declaration all the northern elders rose to criticize him. Now they are using APC to criticize the more.

" This is unhealthy and unpatriotic, but they don't care because the crises is only affecting the masses. Look at the issue of Ebola, they all team up to work together, because Ebola is not about the masses. In fact I pity Nigerians, the masses especially, because we are not seeing all these injustices and we are left to be fighting each other for their selfish interest." He added.