Ayuba Bassa, the National Coordinator of the Gwoza Christian Community Association, has voiced serious concerns about the conditions in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Borno State following recent suicide bomber attacks in Gwoza.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily, Bassa emphasised that these camps, meant to provide refuge, may inadvertently be fostering connections to Boko Haram.
According to Bassa, some women in the IDP camps, reportedly rescued from Boko Haram captivity, have continued to have more children while residing in these camps.
He pointed out that at night, under the guise of collecting firewood, these women secretly meet their Boko Haram husbands, leading to further pregnancies and births.
Bassa's statement underscores the problematic dynamic within the IDP camps, where instead of being completely freed from their former captors, some women maintain clandestine relationships with Boko Haram members.
He said that this situation not only complicates the efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate these women into society but also poses significant security risks.
Bassa warned that these IDP camps are at risk of becoming breeding grounds for Boko Haram, with potential implications for the safety and stability of the region.
He stressed the urgency of addressing this issue, highlighting the need for more stringent security measures and oversight within the camps to prevent such covert activities.
Bassa said, "In IDP camps we talked about, you will find a Boko Haram woman who supposedly has been rescued, and she has been there in the camp for 7 years, giving birth to three extra children without a father.
"The father is in the bush; he is a Boko Haram member. In the night, in the name of going to look for wood, she will go and meet with her husband to take in another child. This is a breeding ground; she is breeding up offspring again for him."
Watch the interview video here (start from 9:35).