From his dressing one could see that Malam Ayuba is a devout Muslim, one who will wish to live where Islam is practiced wholly without any deviation. He always prayed for a place where he could practice his religion without having to come into contact with women who go almost naked or having to pass a beer parlour or interact with those who drink alcohol and other intoxicants. He dreamed of a purely Islamic community.
About eight years ago, Malam Ayuba’s prayers were answered. He was told of a place called Darul-Islam near Mokwa in Niger State which he was told was purely an Islamic community. Without hesitating, he relocated to the place and has been there for almost eight years before the state government evicted them to one primary school and later ‘deported’ him to his state of origin, Bauchi, on transit to his local government, Jama’are.
“I got attracted to Darul-Islam when I learnt of the Islamic way they conducted themselves. I decided to relocate to the place. In Darul-Islam you cannot see women going about almost naked neither will you see alcohol or other social vices. It was purely an Islamic community. Now that I am not here I will only pray for God’s guidance.”
Malam Ayuba along with other 40 members of Darul-Islam believed to be indigenes of Bauchi State were returned to their home state last Tuesday morning and ‘deposited’ at the state police command in the state capital. There were his two wives, seven children and other members of families that included the aged, women and children. He said they were treated badly by the Niger State government which took them to a primary school and ‘deposited’ them there.
“We were treated like animals because we were just brought to one primary school after our eviction from Darul-Islam, women and children, the young and the old. Because of the poor sanitary condition of the place there was an outbreak of cholera which led to the death of my seven-months-old baby.”
When asked if they had anything to do with the Boko Haram sect which brought about their eviction from Darul-Islam as a result of the battle the Boko Haram members had with authorities in some states in the north, Malam Ayuba said he only heard of Boko Haram when they struck in Bauchi and he called his parents in Jama’are to hear if they were affected.
“I only heard of Boko Haram in the media when they attacked a police station in Bauchi. I called my parents in Jama’are to inquire about their state of health. They were the ones telling me more of the attack of the Boko Haram members. It is unfair to link us with Boko Haram. We are a peace loving people only interested in practicing our religion as it should be practiced.”
He also accused the Niger State government of cheating because it did not pay them full compensation for their properties at Darul-Islam. He said the state government underpaid where it cared to pay at all and did not even pay them in some cases saying this was an indication that the government was not sincere in ejecting them as it had not found any evidence that they were violent or amassing weapons.
“I had four farms and two houses. In one of the farms, I had two very important economic trees but I was only given N100, 000 for the farm and N38, 000 for one house in which I was living with my family of nine. I was paid nothing for the other three farms and one house. This is cheating and I believe whoever is responsible of depriving me of my possession will surely repay me in the hereafter.”
Now that he is back into the society does he detest what he will do? He responded without hesitation that he had done his best to escape from an unislamic society and now that he is back into it he will only pray for God’s guidance.
“Well I have done what I could. Now that I am here again in an unislamic set up where women go near naked and alcohol is consumed and other social vices committed, I will only seek for guidance and protection from Allah subhanahu wata’ala.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Bauchi command, ASP Muhammad Barau, told our correspondent on phone that the returnees have already been relocated to their local governments of origin in the state by the state government.
Meanwhile, 131 dislodged members of Darul-Islam suspected to be indigenes of Katsina are to face serious crisis of accommodation at their designated local government of origins as there are no plans to provide alternative accommodation for the victims, Weekly Trust investigation revealed.
Checks in Katsina state revealed that so far all the evacuated members are temporarily camping for five days at the state’s pilgrim camp where the state government provides food and clothing and invite clergymen to preach and console them over the fate that befell them and their families.
Abdulsalam bn Musa, a victim who decried the injustice meted on them to Weekly Trust, expressed fear over lack of accommodation adding that though majority of them have their relatives and family members with them they don’t have a place of abode. He lamented that most of them fell ill as a result of the degrading conditions at the camp in Mokwa, adding that most of them do not have the opportunity to change their first clothes until their settlement in Katsina this week.
Also one Salman bn Ibrahim decried how they were given a mere hour a day to their dislodgement to Katsina to pack up their properties which culminated in them leaving most of their luggage and other important items at their dislodged place of abode.
“Imagine where you leave all your life for the past seventeen years and you are now given only one hour to pack in a hurry; what can you organize and take with you? We only took what we can in our hands and left the rest behind, infact many of us involved in various trades left most of our important trading kits,” he pointed.
Some of them who are farmers decried the poor compensation given for their farms and houses. “In this situation we cannot but just collect whatever they gave us; how can you spend N500, 000 to build a house and at the end you are given 12 to 15 thousand naira? Will you call that a compensation?” asked Abdulsalam Musa.
Many of them pointed that though they did not suffer severe maltreatment from the security agencies but the trauma of separating them from their kinsmen and throwing them back into a strange life remain indelible in their memories.
