Nigeria’s most notorious Islamist sect, Boko Haram, has renamed Mubi town as ‘Madinatul Islam,” meaning the city of Islam.
The action is a pointer that the sect has gained total control of the town which it recaptured last week after troops stationed there reportedly withdrew. Boko Haram had earlier planted its flag in some parts of the town, including the Palace of the Emir.
On Monday, November 3, 2014 the sect launched the introduction of Sharia and the amputation of 10 people in the town.
A trapped resident and witness, Aliyu Bala, who disclosed the renaming of Mubi on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 said that the sect had set up check-points in strategic places in the community.
“They are keeping vigil in every nook and cranny of the town and calling on residents who ran away to come back to their homes, they are also asking those in communities in the four Local Government Areas which they captured to return because their safety will be assured,” Bala stated.
He added that despite the assurance that their safety will be guaranteed under an Islamic Caliphate, some residents of Mubi, who stayed back when the insurgents stormed the town, were sneaking out.
Sunday Wugira, a lawyer, who went to Maiha to rescue his aged parents who fled to the village when Mubi was captured, also confirmed that many trapped residents were secretly fleeing from the community
‘‘I was in Maiha a few hours ago, the plight of the people I saw was simply beyond imagination. We were in a commercial bus when some fleeing soldiers said we must adjust for them to get space in the bus.”
Salisu Baba, another resident of Uba, one of the captured communities, also said the insurgents have warned politicians not to hold any election in the state.
“The insurgents don’t want any election. They have restated their vow to capture the whole state in no distant time,” he added.
“The insurgents have assured people of total freedom and have been telling shop owners to open their shops threatening that anyone who fails to open his shop will have the shop broken.
“Whenever the insurgents want any commodity, they pay for it. This encouraged meat and tea sellers and others to open for business.
“They provided security during the market day in Uba last Thursday while promising to continue to give marketers and residents who come to the area utmost security as long as they complied with Islamic rules.
“They also opened one of the filling stations belonging to A.A Garba in Uba as motorists’ trooped out to buy petrol.”
However, the state government has banned the movement of motorcycles in seven LGAs as part of methods to contain the security situation in state.
In a statement released by the director of Press and Public Affairs to Governor Bala Ngilari, Phineas Elisha, he urged the public and security operatives to ensure compliance to all mandated curfew.
The affected LGAs includes: Hong, Gombi, Song, Girei, Numan, Demsa and Fufore.
