Bleak future for Nigerian returnees

The small, dirty white truck is heavily laden with sacks of corn. The driver has to hit the accelerator hard if the vehicle is going to make it through the river to the opposite bank. As a precaution, around a dozen men are waiting behind the truck ready to push it if it gets stuck on the river bed. But all goes well and the truck reaches the other side without incident. The river is still fairly shallow because the rainy season was very late this year.

They were forced to drive through the river because the nearby bridge is impassable, much to the annoyance of local residents. Stephen Dami Mamza, Catholic Bishop of Yola - capital of the northeastern Nigerian state of Adamawa - shares their concerns. "If we are to build new bridges, that would take a very long time. I would like the government to put up a temporary bridge," he said.

This would be the only way to ensure that essential goods and services can reach the remote region, the bishop believes.

Exposed to Boko Haram

The bridge was destroyed by Boko Haram during their months of occupation of the north of Adamawa state. None of the bridges along the 400 kilometer (249 miles) highway linking Yola to Maiduguri, capital of neighboring Borno state, are intact. Should the militants return to Maiduguri, the escape route to Yola, which local residents used in the past, would be cut off.

50-year-old Kwatri tries not to think about such things. She lives in the small town of Michika, which lies halfway between Yola and Maiduguri. Michika was occupied by Boko Haram from September 2014 to January 2015. Those who could flee to Yola, did so. Kwatri cannot walk without a crutch and every step is painful. She was physically unable to leave but managed to survive the months of terror under the Islamist militants. "I feel I'm freezing all the time and all my bones and joints hurt," she said.

She was too terrified to light a fire to keep warm while Boko Haram was around. "That would have been far too dangerous," she said. Most of the time she slept on the cold floor. Months later, there is still no drug store or hospital in the neighborhood where she can obtain something to relieve the pain.

Kwatri's relatives have not returned to Michika. Her husband has been dead for some time and she hasn't heard from one of her three sons for months. Many people have lost touch with their families while fleeing from Boko Haram. There is nobody to till the land, all stores and provisions are exhausted. Kwatri now queues up to receive food hand-outs from the local church.

Need for reconcilation

According to Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), 1.4 million Nigerians are still displaced. But many are returning to areas which are considered reasonably peaceful. Joel Billi is one such returnee. Having spent nine months as a displaced person in Yola, he hopes to return to his home in Michika. His first impressions of the town are not encouraging. The hospital isn't open and schools and local authority offices are also still closed. The government didn't advise people to return, but he had understood that Boko Haram was as good as defeated. "If the government wants to do us a favor, then they should send us more troops," he said. Billi does not feel safe in his home town. "A few soldiers are stationed here, but we need more."

The reason for the prevailing sense of insecurity is that many of those who collaborated with the Boko Haram occupiers are still living in the town. Some of them joined forces with Boko Haram voluntarily because they hoped for financial gain, others were forced into working for them. Even if there are no fresh attacks in Michika, that does not mean that peace has returned. The militants spread fear and distrust far and wide in the places they occupied. "We haven't even begun the reconciliation process," said Billi. He then tries to strike an optimistic note. "We are looking forward to the day when Christians and Muslims sit together at the same table and forgive each other for all the ugly things that have happened."

The state should really be helping and attend to food supplies, health care and security. But there is no sign of that sort of government assistance. At the end of his visit to Michika, Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza is clearly a worried man. "If we leave everything to the government - which at the moment is doing nothing to help - then our people are going suffer from neglect. It just takes an outbreak of malaria or a shortage of food and they will die."