The Perennial Conflicts and the Agonies of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Southern Part of Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

Borno State is regarded as the hotbed of Boko Haram activities in Nigeria since 1999; all mechanisms deployed by the government to achieve peaceful co-existence proved abortive. This is causing untold hardship for the inhabitants within the conflict areas. With the efforts being put in place by the federal government and state governments to alleviate the suffering of the affected people, the reality on the ground has shown that a large number of the victims are still languishing in IDP camps. In southern Borno, IDP camps are mainly located in three (3) Local Government Areas: Damboa, Gwoza, and Biu. Most of the victims who are lucky enough to recount their ordeals are presently in these three LGAs. Biu and its environs will be fully examined to analyse the agonies of IDPs in the conflict zones within southern Borno. The study focuses on the issues influencing the perennial attacks and the agonies of internally displaced persons in IDP camps. Despite the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces to put an end to this ugly trend, the pushback by the terrorists in the affected Local Government Areas in southern Borno is still visible. This is causing untold hardship for the victims.  The research method used for this study is qualitative and relies on both primary and secondary sources. The primary source utilized is oral interviews, while the secondary sources are written documents.