MAIDUGURI (AFP)-the Nigerian city of Maiduguri quieter than this time last year but locals in Boko Haram spiritual home still feel under siege, afraid to venture outside the city limits because of the high risk of an attack.
Civilian vigilante groups chased the militants in June last year after a wave of almost daily bombings, shootings and the military response of a scorched earth policy which saw citizens pay dearly.
The Islamic insurgents, whose kidnapping of over 200 schoolgirls last month led to international outrage, two military installations in the capital city of the State of Borno attacked in December last year, and hit again in March.
A bomb ripped through a crowded market in January, such as Boko Haram violent campaign make a Islamic State in Northern Nigeria entered its fifth year.
But the biggest fear is what lies outside: heavily armed gunmen prowling block roads in the bush, dressed in military uniform, focused on the motorists and rampaging through villages.
Despite the relative calm in the northeastern city, resident Ari Kaka said: "We are practically besieged Boko Haram.
"It's always a nightmare to leave the city because barricades Boko Haram set up on main roads, often robbing and killing travelers," he told AFP.
"Leave the city is digging into the unknown, with the prospect of bumping into bloody gunmen very high."
-Implement the glove-
Kaka, a textile trader, travels to North Nigeria commercial hub Kano twice a month to buy his wares.
He describes the seven hour drive as "an emotional torture", fraught with the danger of running into marauding rebels.
His fear is justified.
In September last year 167 people were killed at Boko Haram gunmen barricaded the highway 70 kilometers (43 miles) outside Maiduguri.
They shot and sex travelers before the destruction of a large part of the nearby town of Benisheik, which is still in ruins.
"I shudder every time I pass Benisheik because the destruction makes me think to the massacre and reinforces the fear that Boko Haram could be lurking in the bush and can attack at will," he said.
Maiduguri University student Mahmud Othman comes from Northern Jigawa State. She says the return journey five hours, after a visit to a home for the holidays, is a nervous experience.
"The day before school resumes, I keep a nightly Vigil praying for divine protection from Boko Haram on my way back," she said.
"It's always a tense trip and I only feel safe when I enter the city."
-No travel after sunset-
Motorists breathe a sigh of relief when they reach bona fide military and police checkpoints.
People say that no one minds paying a "token" to pass, despite signs warning against the practice.
"I know it is illegal to pay money to the soldiers and police officers manning the checkpoints but I had rather part with a token than be massacred by Boko Haram," said the bus driver Adamu Nata'ala, who regularly travels the route between Kano and Maiduguri.
As a precautionary measure to ensure they reach motorists try Maiduguri before sunset and usually drive in a convoy.
The burned out shells of cars and trucks litter the highway, a constant reminder to motorists by Boko Haram presence.
"Boko Haram can strike at any time, but they are more likely to fall of highways in the evening, which is why we make sure we left early in the morning and arrive in Maiduguri in the day time," he said.
In March last year, Boko Haram, whose name loosely translates as "Western education is prohibited", attacked and burned villages along the highway and Canoe Mainok Jakana, killing about 80 people.
Both attacks were carried out after sunset.
-Fear of the unknown-
Travel north towards the border with Cameroon and Chad, where Boko Haram campaign largely concentrated, is even worse for Maiduguri the warring inhabitants.
"I haven't been to my hometown to see my family in the past two months, because I'm afraid of Boko Haram ambushes on the road," said Ibrahim Grema, which comes from Bama, 70 kilometers (40 miles) away.
Boko Haram fighters move frequently in the area between and Bama, Maiduguri but the motorists who walk in them seldom live to tell the tale, he added.
The insurgents have improvised camps in the forest and around the city of Sambisa Dikwa. To achieve both, they should cross the highway Maiduguri-Bama.
"They cross the highway at least four times in a week to and from the two camps, which is why people try to avoid the highway," said Grema.
"It is safe in the city but once you step out you don't know what lies ahead."
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