Story from Sa’adatu MAINA, Damaturu
It has been reported that the Boko Haram insurgents are luring residents of Geidam in Yobe state with Ramadan gift items.
The residents reportedly were offered N20,000 by Boko Haram fighters loyal to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) but with a caveat – join us!
According to Abba, a resident of Geidam, “Some people still living in Geidam have received the N20,000 from Boko Haram as Ramadan gift. Some families willingly collected the money while others collected it out of fear…They don’t want to be flogged or killed if they reject it.”
A woman, who pleaded to be anonymous said the terrorists were also preaching to the people.
“It is a dangerous dimension for now because they would end up recruiting our children. Government should confront them,” she said.
Security expert Salihu Bakhari said, “Treating people well is one of the membership drive strategies of ISWAP in contrast to what Abubakar Shekau does. The federal forces must not allow the terrorists to remain in Geidam, they should flush them out so that we would not have a repeat of what is happening in the Lake Chad region.
“More than 80 per cent of the residents have vacated their houses which is good. However, those remaining in the town could be influenced by the terrorists who have started enforcing some of their so-called laws including leading them in prayers,” he said.
However, a Geidam resident based in Damaturu who craved for anonymity told Neptune Prime that it is not true that the insurgents gave people money and that no one has joined them. He said they have “even left the town since after stealing foodstuffs as well as stripping houses of furniture.”.
