The Ajari football pitch in Damaturu was filled beyond capacity, with spectators occupying a lane of the Damaturu-Gashua federal highway, watching a local football match between Ajari United FC. and Gwange Stars FC.
The huge crowd was exceptional and such a crowd has not been witnessed in sports arenas in the city within the last two years.
Scenes like this have now resurfaced in Damaturu with the football fields of schools taken over by young boys, while Majalisa, places where people gather after office hours to unwind with tea and Suya (roasted meat), are now bubbling with activities.
Nowadays, hawkers now move around freely on the streets, peddling their wares, while several houses, which were hitherto locked up, are now reopened; as many residents, who fled the city in the heat of the Boko Haram aggression, have returned.
Residents of Damaturu, who witnessed some carnage in 2011 and 2012 when gun shots and bomb explosions were commonplace, at the point in time could only imagine that one day, peace and tranquility will return to the city.
Observers recall that many residents then saw the situation as hopeless and fled Damaturu, after selling their properties at give-away prices, out of fears that it would be a long time before peace could return to the troubled city.
They, however, note that those who bought the properties were merely taking risks, as hopes for peace in Damaturu then appeared quite grim.
Nevertheless, the determination and adept manoeuvres of the security agencies soon became fruitful, as the insurgents were pushed out of the city centre to the outskirts and finally into the bushes, thereby reducing the spate of attacks and violence in the state capital.
As peace gradually returns to Damaturu; stores at the famous Bayan Tasha market have reopened for business, as people now throng the market, buying and selling grains, groceries, textiles, electronics and shoes, among others.
Popular eateries such as Mama Edo and Twinkles, supermarkets like Ami and Alheri; shopping malls such as Gabarwa and Kagum plazas, as well as banks have all reopened for business, providing services to customers.
Alhaji Modu Ali, a textile merchant in Bayan Tasha market, said that normalcy had now returned to Damaturu after years of violence with almost destroyed the socio-economic fabric of the society.
“It is amazing that Damaturu is now serene after the tormenting period of the insurgency. Look at this place, life is back, with normal business flowing as if nothing ever happened.
“We thank God, the security agencies and the Yobe State Government for their collective efforts in ensuring the return of peace and normalcy,’’ he added.
Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, an electronics merchant in the same market, said that the peaceful atmosphere in Damaturu had particularly boosted commerce in the city.
“The return of normalcy has been a blessing, as business is now thriving in Damaturu. We thank God and the authorities for the peace and normalcy we now enjoy,’’ he said.
Mr Gabriel Ejike, who sells bag and shoes in another section of the city, said that he came back to Damaturu after his earlier flight from the city because of the insurgency.
He conceded that he was encouraged to stay back in Damaturu due to the current peace and tranquility in the city.
Marriage and naming ceremonies, which were no longer organised in Damaturu because of fears of attacks by assailants, are now back on Fridays and Saturdays, with Muslims and Christians attending the ceremonies.
Malam Yahaya Usman, a Muslim cleric, said that marriages were now organised every Fridays across the city.
“Some residents, who planned to get married earlier, could not do so until now because of the insurgency. Now that normalcy has returned, you see a lot of weddings every Friday,’’ he said.
Mr Joel Duku, a Damaturu resident, said that socio-economic and religious activities in the city had increased appreciably in recent times.
“You can now really appreciate the huge number of Christians in Damaturu and the large turnout of worshippers in churches on Sundays.
“Similarly, there are several weddings going on now in almost every church but the receptions for the weddings now take place within the church premises to ensure security.
“We are happy that our Muslim friends also attend the weddings and the receptions, as we celebrate together,’’ Duku said.
In spite of the fact that most parts of the state are still under a curfew which restricts human and vehicular movements from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., some weddings are now organised between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. in the evening
As security operatives relax their stop-and-search operations at checkpoints across Damaturu, movements around the city are now easier and faster, thereby boosting economic activities in the city.
With a few days to Eid-el-Kabir celebrations, people from all parts of the country are thronging the state to buy livestock for the festivity.
Malam Musa Ali, a livestock trader, said that there had been a remarkable boost in the livestock trade in recent times.
“We have been going to village markets in the 15 local government areas of Yobe freely, with the exception of Gujba and Gulani local government areas, to buy rams which we sell to buyers from other states.
“Unfortunately, we cannot go to Gujba and Gulani, in spite of the large stock of livestock there because of the prevailing security challenges in those areas,’’ Ali said.
Although there was improvement in the security situation, farming activities in Yobe State have suffered a great setback, as many farmers have abandoned their farms due to fear.
Alhaji Ahmad Gaba, a farmer, conceded that many farmers abandoned their farms because of the insurgent activities of the Boko Haram assailants.
His words: “With our previous experience still lingering in our minds, we were scared of going to our farms. We keep away from the farms due to fear of the unknown.’’
All the same, one major factor that contributed to the perceptible success of the military operations in Damaturu was the cordial civilian-military relations existing in Yobe state.
The mutual trust encouraged residents to volunteer useful information to the military and the intelligence reports have yielded positive results in the campaign against terrorism.
Alhaji Maimala Buni, the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), noted that the synergy between the security agencies, Yobe and Borno governments, and the people had checked the Boko Haram attacks, while curtailing the spread of the insurgency to other parts of the country.
“The synergy between security operatives, the state governments and the people, who volunteered useful information, has contributed to the success of the campaign against terrorism and its spread,’’ he said.
The achievements notwithstanding, analysts insist that the feats are attributable to the gallantry of security officers and some individuals, as well as the Federal Government which has committed a lot of resources to the fight against insurgency.
They, nonetheless, call on all the citizens to make pragmatic efforts to tackle the menace of insurgency decisively, while promoting peace across the country.
