Whenever the popular saying “when there is life there is hope” is said, not many seem to know the full grasp but not residents of Kano. Many people that witnessed last Friday attack of the ancient city by members of the Boko Haram, would not fail to remember that the fear of Boko Haram is the beginning of mapping out strategy to avert irreparable losses of lives and properties.

Virtually all motor parks in the ancient city of Kano were jam-packed with hundreds of people trooping every day into different motor parks in Kano station to board buses and other vehicles to various destinations.

When one enters into these parks, the first thing one would notice was the shout of people calling for passengers to different parts of the states, while others called Lagos, Onithsa, Benin, Markudi , Akure, Ibadan and other places.

When asked why the sudden rush to leave Kano, a look that seemed to say ‘are you a stranger in Kano and apparently unaware of developments?’ was all a woman could manage before she scurried away with her children in tow. People were relocating to their respective hometowns following the recent pandemonium that took place last Friday, when the Boko Haram, in a coordinated attack, unleashed terror on no fewer than five police divisions with bomb blasts that at the end of the day sent more than 200 people to their early graves.

At the various motor parks, namely; Anguwa Uku, Naibawa, Mariri and other popular parks in Sabo-Gari, and New Road, where mostly the non indigenes resided, both young and old were seen carrying their bags and baggage desperately eager to escape from the town. While some have concluded plans to finally relocate, others were to leave for a while just to heave a sigh of relief from the palpable tension which has already enveloped their minds as a result of the pandemonium created by the Boko Haram.

It will be recalled that the Christian Association Nigeria (CAN) Kano chapter, while addressing pressmen on the catastrophe of Boko Haram invasion on Kano, called on non indigenes not to flee the city.

At the briefing jointly addressed by the CAN executive, the state leader, Bishop Ransome Bello urged non indigenes not to leave Kano on the account of the recent attacks.
Bishop Bello noted that it was true that many lives were lost to the crisis, but going by the figure released by the security operatives, it was evidently clear that both Christians and Muslims suffered the onslaught inflicted by the sect.

He was of the opinion that the attack was not carried out by their host community stressing that the host community were not at war with Christians neither do they have any axe to grind with non indigenes, adding that running out of Kano would not solve the present predicament facing the country, but with prayers all things are possible.

He said: “good and evil people exist everywhere in the world and the same God that created the Boko Haram people also created other people. Therefore, the Almighty God would touch their hearts to retrace their steps for good.

“We have received tremendous support from Muslims in the state who have continued to assure us that they were not part of these dastardly acts.”

The body however called on both religions and traditional rulers to use their positions to dialogue with Boko Haram because they were not spirits or special creatures, saying “they are eating, drinking and living within us, so they are visible to some extent.”

Bishop Bello who called on the state government to look into the advice given by members of Nigeria Inter Religious Council (NIREC) on the need to establish the state and local government chapters of NIREC, saying this would go along way in addressing this type of crisis.

Speaking in the same vein, the vice chairman of CAN, Bishop Zakka Nyam, stated that though some people were calling for a dialogue with Boko Haram, it would not be an easy task because the sect members people were not known physically.

“How could it be possible to dialogue with a set of people who believe in using Guerrilla warfare to eliminate innocent and harmless people?

“Look at us addressing you as members of the press, it is possible because we can see ourselves, therefore how can we address you if you did not show yourselves? Hence, they need to show themselves and table their grievances.”

Bishop John Namaza charged the leaders to always demonstrate transparency and justice in whatever they were doing adding that peace could not be achieved in any society lacking the above criteria.

The Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha also appealed to the non indigenes not to flee the state adding that with the present security measures being made by Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, he was convinced that no more attack would occur in the state.

However, all these calls fell on deaf ears as people were still trooping out in large numbers in a manner that seemed to echo the Biblical allusion “to your tents oh Israel.”

As relations who lost loved ones continued to claim the corpses of their dead for burial, Christians trooped with caskets carrying corpses for burial at Ahmmadiya Cemetery while their Muslim counterparts were not left out as they carried corpses to the same cemetery where a fence separated the two sides.

However, as relatives were claiming the corpses of their loved ones from respective hospitals, it has been hinted that there may be a mass burial for few corpses that would eventually remain unclaimed.

The late Bob Marley sang ‘exodus, movement of the people,’ and in Kano the song is being played out on a daily basis since the first day of the blast. The question is when would the present exodus of the people stop?

Until the dreaded sect decide to lay down their arms and allow peace to reign, most of the travellers said they would not find it easy to live in constant fear of bomb blasts but what many have been saying is “if they pray for those that were killed by Boko Haram, what kind of prayer would be offered for those that killed them?