Story by: Omale John Achimugu
Malam Isa Ibrahim, is native of Wudil town of Wudil local government area in Kano State. He is Married to two wives and has seven (7) children, four boys and three girls.
As an irrigation farmer, he left Wudil to Baga in Borno State, northeast Nigeria for a greener pasture in the late 1990s where he major in onion and maize farming.
As luck would have it, Malam Isa secured approximately, five (5) hectares of land and began farming. Initially, it was onion and then later on decided to incorporate maize.
Born under a lucky star, He was able to harvest more than 100 bags of onions and almost 100 bags of maize. This became an annual routine.
Malam Isa was able to purchase two pumping machine each at the rate of N27,000.00 after some year of hiring and also punched two motorbike, each at the cost of N115,000, this is to ease transportation.
He became very successful in his farming and bought a land where he raised a shelter for himself and his family.
Narrating his story, the water vendor said “I have never seen or heard about a commercial area in the northeast where tax is being generated on daily basis and in huge amount of money like in Baga region. We pay tax on every agricultural produce and also do those in fishing,” Malam Isa said.
He said, apart from catering for the needs of his family, he also help those in need irrespective of who they are and where they came from and he drives pleasure in wiping away tears from othe people’s eye.
Despite Boko Haram activities in Borno, especially, in the Baga region, his harvest use to have a bountiful harvest and hid income continue growing.
Malam Isa explained that, as Boko Haram activities worsen, the risk of going to farm increased as one could be killed if come across Boko Haram troops in the farm. He often see slaughtered dead bodies of people whom knew very well, when ever he goes out to farm. At first, fear took over him and gradually became part of him.
As he continue sharing his bad experience, he said, the first day Boko Haram launch an attack that resulted to loose of 42 person, was one of the horrible days he will never forget. That was the day he saw large number of dead bodies, not only that, he was among those who pick the bodies and prepare them for mass burial.
He added that, at first, he made a decision to take his family and leave baga, despite the the newly planted onion, but after a second thought, he decided to remain and continue with his farming activities, knowing fully that, it is God who protects us from harm at all times.
“We do run to the bush for safety when ever there is an attack and this incident, i cannot count how many time. we became helpless and hopeless and only trusting God for a miracle, Malam Isa added.
He said, his cousins was also a victims. “Boko Haram found him together with his son on his farm and slaughter them like rams.”
He added also that, life became more risky and so stressful that, they have to take charge of the security of their community by staying guard at night, positioning themselves in the strategic Conners of the town in other to save their lives and that of their families without any security agency around.
He said, With the terror increasing and the absence of army, more lives are being assassinated, including the village head. The Boko Haram usually come around to tax us individually, in millions of naira and some in hundred of thousands and failure to do so, is a death penalty.
“Fear begin to take whole of me and the safety of my family became my number one priority, but how to take them away from Baga is a big problem, because if the Boko Haram discovered that, one is planning to leave, rest in peace would be his/her name, Mal. Isa further explained.”
Malam Isa Sa’id, despite the insurgency, commercial activities was still going on though not as it use to. People usually come from Maiduguri to buy agricultural produce and fish. This became a golden opportunity for him to leave, but with the number of his household, 13 lives (his 2 wives, 7 children and 3 grandchildren, including himself, this could not be possible at once.
He said, “Wisdom is very important with this golden opportunity as one could land into a big trouble, if the Boko Haram discovered that, one is planning to leave. They allowed traveling but without any luggage.”
That was how he began to send his family leaving, batch by batch in the name of going to Maiduguri for shopping, and from their, they find their way back home, some to Wudil and other to Potiskum as planned.
He also narrated that, “there was no mobile communication network that one may even call to know of their safety. I was left alone with my son that got married from Matile, a town close to Baga.”
He continued his farming activities and as mentioned earlier, he usually gets a bountiful harvest. Though he am a farmer with little capital then, but his annually sold more than 100 bags of onions and also, more than 100 bags of maize and in return, “i get more than two million naira (N2,000,000.00)”, according to him.
The increase in Boko Haram attack left him with no choice than to leave also, and the condition of not taking any luggage with you while traveling caused him to leave and abandoning his investment worth millions of naira.”
Malam Isa further narrated that, “though the onions were almost ready for harvest and the maize is flourishing, with tears in my heart, i looked at the farm and said “Allah ya sa hakan shi ya fi alkhairi, then i left. That was in 2013.”
He said, “Life begins at fresh in Potiskum town of Yobe State Nigeria with my second wife who is Bolewa by tribe and my three children while my first wife and my four children stays in Wudil, my hometown.”
Living became so challenging and how to cope with the new reality was a big deal for him and his both wives have to stay in their parents house, catering for their needs was the reality he have to face “but how do I star and where should go to, after all, I have abandoned everything I own in Baga”, Malam Isa explained.
He further explained that, there was a time they were given a card that served a a ticket for collecting palliatives in Potiskum local government secretariat. He collected for only two years, but since then, to the time of filling this report, he could not get any assistance.
Malam Isa boldly said, “Unlike some people in my shoes who beg for survival, I decided to look for something doing in other to meet the needs of my family.”
“I am not the lazy type. some times, i will be called upon to splitting wood using axe and some times, to go and work in other people’s farm while i get paid. but that is not often and could not sustain the family.”
“One day, a cart-pusher water vendor told me that, he will be traveling and asked if I could use his cart before he would come back.and I replied ‘yes i can’ and I collected the cart.”
He sarted with five gallons of 20 liters since he was not use to it, then later on eight gallons and finally full cart which carries twelve gallons.”
After a while, the man that borrowed him his cart came back from his journey demanding for his cart and asked. Malam Isa asked if he could help him get one and he was lucky to have it for rent.
Since then, he concentrated on the water vending business and this is his seventh year, but, he hardly make one thousand naira a day which is less than N350,000.00 in a year compared to when he was in Baga earning more than N2,000,000.00 in a year at his farm.
As someone who once handled and managed investment worths millions of naira, he did not find it easy, “I believed that God is over everything and I have no other option than to accept it in good faith as a test to my faith in God” He explaied with all sincerity.
He said, if he could have the means to go back and continue farming, he will not hesitate to do so. The means includes Capital, the farmland, the farm tools and a shelter, but he will prefer a change of environment, prefferably Ngalda in Fika LGA of Yobe or Gashua.
He said Despite all this, he do not allow the trauma to weigh him down; he still gives the little he has to those i need just as he use to when he was at Bags town.
He concluded that “am grateful to God for the condition i found myself in and i know someday the story will change again.
When and how will the story change and who will God use to change his story?
Looking forward for this miracle.
