Durumi is an area in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The community is providing shelter to a part of the over 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northeast Nigeria. Most of the IDPs at the Durumi settlement are either from Borno, Yobe, or Adamawa states.
This report reveals how the lives of the IDPs settlers are threatened by insecurity, occasion by porous entry points and non-documentation of the IDPs by government authorities.
Background: Insecurity in Northeast
The emergence and reign of the notorious Boko Haram extremist group threw the country into a security crisis. Nigeria became a global icon of terrorism as the group gained territory in the Northeast. The destructive results of this insurgency were far-reaching, resulting in widespread displacement and an increase in internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The northeastern part of Nigeria has borne the brunt of the Boko Haram crisis. This extremist group's relentless attacks have displaced over 2 million people across the country, leaving shattered communities and lives in their wake. The severity of the crisis has been unparalleled in recent history, with Nigeria witnessing the highest number of displaced persons in the last 14 years.
As of December 2020, Nigeria had more than 2.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), making it the third-largest population of IDPs in sub-Saharan Africa, trailing behind the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. The primary causes of displacement in Nigeria are associated with Boko Haram, with additional displacement triggered by other non-state armed groups (NSAGs) in the northeastern region since 2014.
According to a report, various factors such as crime, cattle rustling, land disputes, armed violence, and tensions between pastoralists and farmers have escalated in the north-central and north-west regions in 2020, following a trend observed over the past three years. This increase in conflict and violence has become more frequent, and there has been a rise in rural banditry and criminal violence, specifically in the northwestern part of the country.
In 2020 alone, the ongoing conflict and violence resulted in approximately 169,000 new displacements, and by the end of the year, the total number of people living in displacement reached around 2.7 million, marking an increase compared to 2019.
Meanwhile, in 2022, the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said there were about 3.4 million IDPs in the country as of August 2022, but after the devastating flood across the country in November, the number rose to over five million.
The over five million people displaced are spread across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Of these numbers, the federal capital territory houses over 20,000, who now find refuge in 18 camps, including the Durumi settlement.
The Durumi IDPs' settlement, like other IDPs camps, provides temporary shelters for these individuals who have been compelled to flee their homes due to various reasons.
But the IDPs at the Durumi settlement are worried about their safety. Their ‘place of refuge,' which they had hoped would shelter them until it was safe for them to return to their ancestral homes, now offers them no hope of safety. What seems to be a condition that can be described as ‘running from the frying pan to the fire’?”
Inadequate Security for the Durumi IDPs
Mrs. Hannatu is the women's leader of the Durumi IDP settlement. She told this reporter that she is concerned for their (the IDPs') safety and that they may become victims of another terrorist strike. She wants the government to ensure security for the IDPs in the area.
"If the government can give us security, it will be better. Even now that we are living in the forest like this, if Boko Haram comes to attack us, we won’t know, and there’s nowhere that we can run to. Even before we called security, they would have killed all of us here. So if the government can even send security during the night, if not during the day around 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., it will be better. So if someone takes his bag and enters the camp, we don’t know who he is". She told SMI.
Hanatu also explained to SMI how they had turned to self-help. She stated that their security is provided by themselves, as they rely on a small group of vigilantes. Their responsibility, according to her, is to resolve any issues in the settlement and, if possible, refer them to the police.
However, this impromptu setup falls short of offering complete security coverage. The lack of an organised security apparatus puts the camp vulnerable to possible threats, as anyone can enter without scrutiny or proof of their intentions.
Among the internally displaced people and the host community, we select a few people for vigilantism." If anything happens, we take the case to them, and if it is beyond their capacity, they take it to the police. So it’s only them that go around in the night and keep people safe.
"We don’t do anything as far as security is concerned, so anybody can come here. It was before that our leaders checked on strangers and asked, "Where do you come from?" Who’s your brother?" But now, the leaders are going to the farm, so who will do it without the help of the vigilantes?" She asked, looking helplessly.
SMI gathered that the IDPs have faced different security threats, from being invaded by unknown groups to being accused of robbery and theft by the host community and government authorities.
On December 21, 2020, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) demolished some parts of the Durumi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) settlement.
The FCTA authority claimed that the demolished area of the IDPs settlement was a dual carriageway corridor with a rail modal.
Shehu Ahmad is the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA). He said, "The slums were supposed to convey dual transportation" but "the hoodlums took over the area" They constitute nuisances not only to the neighborhood but to the entire city", the official said.
According to the IDPs, this has exacerbated the area's insecurity. The IDPs who spoke with our reporter said the Durumi IDP camp has become a refuge for hoodlums and criminals due to the porous access points worsened by demolition.
The non-documentation of the IDPs contributes to security threats.
SMI also gathered that some desperate individuals in the settlement resort to engaging in criminal activities, such as theft, drug peddling, or joining illicit armed groups, to survive.
The IDPs said those ‘criminal elements’ take advantage of the non-documentation of the IDPs, and it’s difficult to separate them from the genuine IDPs.
Hanatu told SMI that the government's knowledge of the camp stemmed from the engagement between camp residents and individuals in the community. However, the lack of official recognition means that these IDPs remain invisible in the eyes of administrative systems, rendering them more vulnerable to exploitation and contributing to the overall insecurity in the area.
"The camp isn’t registered. Only government agencies know about the camp. This is the first camp that the government knew about; we have been here since 2014. The government got to know we are here as a result of the engagement of some of our youth with people outside the camp." Hanatu explained.
She, however, added, "Many government agencies have visited this camp, even the vice president and his wife (former Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo). But we are not registered, except when FEMA registered us under one hospital for one year that they were paying our hospital bill."
Other IDPs who spoke to SMI revealed that although ID cards used to be issued to IDPs in the past to enable security agents to identify and address criminal activities such as theft and robbery, they are not anymore.
According to Isah (as he simply gave his name), the issuance of these identification documents was not widespread and did not cover all IDP camps.
Isah, who is also a camp leader in Durumi, highlighted the effectiveness of ID cards in recognizing and managing the IDP population.
"We used to have ID cards before. We find people committing robberies, snatching bags, and all that. The security agent used the ID cards to recognise the IDPS."
Government Position
Speaking on the need for documentation and monitoring, the Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Abbah Idris, acknowledged that there is no comprehensive registration system for IDPs and that the profiling efforts are primarily aimed at gathering data for management purposes.
He said, "I'm not aware of any registration for IDPs, if any existed. It was not done by FEMA. What FEMA did, along with NEMA and IOM, was profile the IDPs to have data for their proper management. When we did the profiling, we did not issue any ID cards to them."
Expert reacts
In an interview with SMI, a security analyst for SBM Intelligence, Confidence MacHarry, reiterated the need for integration in the local economy to reduce the issue of robbery and crime.
According to her, keeping hundreds of people who are feeding themselves hand-to-mouth can only work for a period of time, adding to the need for reintegration back into society.
"The siting of displacement camps is a factor in IDPs safety. Also, the drivers of crime stemming from displacement camps are desperation and the fact that keeping a mass of people fed hand-to-mouth can only work for a period of time. It can't work all the time. The shift towards productivity must be emphasised, and this may sometimes mean integration in the local economy, especially for the young people in such camps." Confidence advised.
This report is produced by Safer-Media Initiative with the support of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under The Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity and Accountability Project (C-Media Project) funded by the MacArthur Foundation.