Internally Displaced Persons In The North Tell Their Sad Stories

Singer, photographer, TY Bello has shared portraits of Internally Displaced Persons she took in a camp in Borno State, along with touching stories of the harsh reality of what they’ve gone through.

She captioned one of the portraits: ”Making these portraits, my hope was to draw more help to#internallydisplacedpersons by telling their personal stories”

ZARA ABATCHA:

I am from Monguno and I now take care of this child. His mother was killed in a bomb blast in Bama and his father died after an illness.

AISHA MUSTAPHA:

Boko Haram held us for 5 days before we escaped . She does not know where her husband is .
If the security situation gets better I would like to return home.

BABAGANA IBRAHIM:

I am 33yrs old and from Monguno. I was a trader and studying to be a teacher at Sir Kashim Ibrahim College of Education. I also did some farming.

Everything was normal the day before BokoHaram came at 1am. I was seperated from my family in the chaos but we were reunited in a village 20km from home.

We walked all the way from Mungono to Maiduguri.. My wife, my mum and the children. My wife was pregnant at the time. It took us six days.

I just want things to go back to normal so I can go back to school. All I’m fighting for right now is for my children to get their education.

When we arrived it was very difficult but thanks to the agents at NEMA and SEMA things are much better now

BINTU GONI:

I am from Monguno.. My son was shot and killed by BokoHaram and his wife died after a brief illness .I’m now left to care for my grandson. He is in class two now at the camp and wants to be a teacher when he grows up.

Another victim said:

BokoHaram killed my father when they came and they took us to Gwoza .They tried to force us to convert to Islam and gave us poisoned water to drink when we refused.

I did not drink the water and so I survived. Six of us died from the poison. The rest of us were held for two months . We climbed a wall and escaped at night.

MOHAMMED AND LASHI:

Boko Haram took our mother away. We don’t know what happened to her. Our father died before the conflict .We are here, at the camp, in care of our grand mother.

FALMATA GONODU: MOTHER

As I made family portraits I realized that this war not only created orphans but new families as well . Falmata is now mother and caregiver to Hafsat, Yukaka and Ba’ana .. All orphaned by the war.

DORCAS MUSA:

THE SMILE There’s something about the smile of this 15 year old. I can never forget her face … Dorcas is from Baga in Borno state.. Bokoharam abducted her and many others and took them to unknown village, holding them captive for a week.

They managed to escape in the middle of the night .. The terrorists ran after them but couldn’t keep up. They went back to Baga and were transported to the camp from there. Dorcas also wants to be a doctor.

Another mum spoke:

I was pregnant when BokoHaram attacked Gaba.They killed my husband right in front of me in our home. Some of us ran into the forest, I gave birth to my daughter in the bush.

Unfortunately BokoHaram caught up with us and killed all the men. They put a gun my head and asked that I join them or be killed. I..along with the other women were taken to Goshi by the terrorists.

They tried to force us into marriage but we managed to escape at night to Cameroun. From Cameroun we travelled here to Maiduguri. We live here at the camp and my daughter is now 2 years old.

Hafsat Mohammed:

Boko Haram Terrorists came to our town… They killed my brothers and sisters. I now live here at the camp and go to school. I am in primary 2.

When I close my eyes I imagine a tomorrow Where I’m a doctor and I’m helping other people .

Photo credit: TY Bello Instagram