Mass exodus hits Niger community as Boko Haram attacks persist

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

Hundreds of people of Allawa and neighboring communities have continued fleeing their ancestral homes, following the withdrawal of military base in Shiroro local government area of the state, due to persistent Boko Haram attacks on lives and properties in the areas.
It was reliably gathered that no fewer than seven communities together with their food stuffs and properties were burnt down during recent activities of the suspected Boko Haram insurgents in the area.
Reports also revealed that during a recent attack, dozens of goats and bags of foodstuffs, houses and motorcycles were burnt down in Allawa, Bassa and some other communities by suspected Boko Haram men, not bandits as strongly insinuated from some quarters.
However, the Nigerian military has purportedly closed its camp and withdrawn troops in Allawa community in Shiroro local government area following the killing of six soldiers including their commander in an ambush and the military vehicle that stepped on a landmine along Allawa-Pandogari road, leading to an unspecified number of casualties on their part.
Also, the withdrawal of troops, which residents said came to them as a surprise due to alleged renewed attacks in the community and its neighbouring communities, had caused hundreds of locals including women, the elderly and children to vacate their houses, trekking over fifty kilometres to safe places in Kuta, Gwada and Minna respectively.
A resident of the Area who identified himself simply as Ishaku told Journalists in Minna that Niger state government has allegedly abandoned them.
He also expressed shock as they woke up seeing the soldiers removing their tents in preparation to leave the community unannounced.
This, according to the concerned residents amounted the failure on the part of Governor Mohammed Umar Bago’s administration, who had assured farmers in the affected insecurity areas during President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s flag off of agricultural equipments at the airport in Minna, that all the farmers will be secure for all year farming in the state.