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Thousands of people fleeing violence in Mubi are struggling to survive in the wilds.
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Gunfire and bomb blasts are filling the city of Mubi in northeast
Nigeria with smoke and corpses while a Nigeria-based ministry assisted
by Christian Aid Mission struggles to meet the needs of a growing number
of Internally Displaced People (IDP).
“The situation is so horrific, as all people, including women, children
and the aged alike, trek for over 50 kilometers, some of whom have died
on the road,” the director of the ministry based in the area said. “The
second biggest city in Adamawa state is now occupied by Boko Haram
insurgents, killing anyone they see.”
The ministry has begun rescuing groups of IDPs and transferring them to
a safe location. Since the Islamic extremist Boko Haram began its
takeover of Mubi on Wednesday (Oct. 29), more than 300,000 people have
fled to Yola, all of them dependent on humanitarian aid. The rescue
mission has cost 120,000 naira (US$723) in just the last three days, and
the director expects the ministry will need more than 1 million naira
(US$6,026) to feed, clothe and resettle people in the coming days.
“We have to show our Christian love and spirit to support these
people,” said the director, who is still searching for some of his
ministry’s staff members lost in the commotion. “Some of them that we
have taken are not even known to us; some are Muslims, and others
Christians – you have to help all persons regardless of their religious
and ethnic affiliations. That is what Christ came to do.”
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Boko
Haram, which seeks to impose a strict version of sharia (Islamic law)
on all of Nigeria, now occupies Mubi, once a city of 300,000 people, as
well as Michika, Madagali and Bazza, the director said. Besides the
funding needs to meet immediate needs, he requested prayer for safety
and strength.
Designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Boko Haram is
said to have threatened to seize the key city of Yola within a few
weeks.
“Half
of Adamawa state is on fire right now, and all around us the air is so
emotionally charged that we are concerned for our own safety,” the
director said. “The image of the soldiers running away from a handful of
Boko Haram folks was an indescribable sight. We must rely on God to
save the people. We ask for your urgent prayers and support.”
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