Di city where shopkeepers dey fear say dia CCTV cameras fit lead to dia death

Shop owners for Somalia capital, Mogadishu dey between di devil and di blue sea ova one goment directive wey say dem must install CCTV cameras outside dia businesses to increase surveillance of Islamist insurgents wey get strong presence for di city.

Di businessmen tok say dem put up di cameras, risk dey say di al-Shabab insurgents fit shoot dem, and if dem no fix di cameras, police fit arrest dem.

BBC don change di names of di businessmen and homeowners for dia own safety.

"Di CCTV cameras na why you dey see me for house now," 48-year-old former shopkeeper Hamza Nuur, tok as e siddon on one sofa and hold one of im children.

E tell BBC say im take di painful decision to sell im business to avoid di wahala of di two sides.

"Goment go tell you say make you no remove di cameras and insurgents go tell you to remove di cameras. Depending on di choice you make, you go either collect bullet or go prison dey wait for you," Oga Nuur add.

Di goment bin issue one directive last year to shopkeepers to install CCTV cameras – wit dia own money - to stop al-Shabab attacks.

Mogadishu Deputy Mayor Mohamed Ahmed Diriye tell BBC Africa Daily podcast say di decision don pay off.

"About four or five bombings dey happun evri month for Mogadishu but dat no longer be di case," e tok.

Di goment now don order residents to install the di cameras outside dia houses and apartment blocks, dis don raise fears among many pipo say al-Shabab fit bring di war come dia dormot.

Since October, al-Shabab don kill four businessmen for inside 10 attacks wey relate to di installation of CCTV cameras, according to one leading violence monitoring group, Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (Acled).

Di purpose of di goment directive na to ultimately disrupt al-Shabab sources of funding as dem forcefully dey collect money out of from shop owners, but di retaliatory attacks by di insurgents "don force many businesses for Mogadishu main markets to close dia shops for days", Acled add for one report dem recently publish on dia website.

Oga Nuur tok say im bin first ignore di goment directive but e later dey forced to install di cameras afta members of di security forces challenge am.

"I bin try explain give dem say I be poor man and no wan get wahala wit goment but dem vex for me, begin dy threaten me say dem go spoil my life," e tell BBC.

Oga Nuur tok say as soon as e install di CCTV camera, e start to dey receive phone calls from unknown numbers.

"My body begin dey shake from inside. I know who dey call," e tok, referring to al-Shabab operatives wey get correct spy network, wey dey allow dem to get information about civilians like Oga Nuur.

Oga Nuur say im change im number, only for one young man to waka come im shop one morning.

"E lift im shirt. E get pistol for im waist. E order me to turn on my SIM card."

Oga Nuur tok say im agree, and di phone ring, di anonymous caller bin ask weda "di goment demands dey more important to you pass our own".

"I no know wetin to do. Di young man wit di pistol bin dey stand dia di whole time. I bin dey think say, once I hang up dis phone call e go shoot me. So, I whisper prayer under my breath," Mr Nuur add.

E say fortunately di man "waka out of di store without kasala afta I hang up di call".

Mr Nuur say im decide to sell im business afta two shopkeepers dey gunned down for October.

"Nothing more dey valuable dan human life," e tok.

Oga Nuur add say: "Dem dey pull pipo wey dey try make ends meet into war against a powerful group wey even government no fit fight. Just imagine how we feel as civilians."

Diriye deny say businesses dey shut down or say goment dey force owners to install CCTV cameras.

However, e agree say some businessmen dey fear, but e say goment dey do dia best to reassure and protect dem.

"Di city dey calm and business dey smooth," Diriye add.

But Asiyo Mohamed Warsame tell BBC say masked gunmen kill her 40-year-old brother Dahir Mohamed Warsame for im shop for Mogadishu Yaqshid district for October afta e install CCTV cameras under pressure from di security forces.

"He leave behind six children, di youngest being na only four months old," she tok.

Shopkeeper Ismael Hashi, 33, tok say im close im business afta anonymous calls from suspected al-Shabab operatives.

"Dem sabi my name plus more. E be like say dem already know everything about me," e tell BBC.

Mr Hashi add say im later receive call from di police wey tell am to open im shop - and wen e ignore dem, dem detain am for some days bifor dem release am.

Mr Hashi tok say dem don reopen im business now.

"I still get di CCTV cameras wey I install on government orders but I know say di goment no fit protect me if someone decide to take my life," e tok.

"Every time I stand behind di counter and pesin wey I no know enta, fear dey catch me and I go wonder if dis na di pesin dem send to kill me," Mr Hashi add.

Sidow Abdullahi Mohamed, 39, tell BBC say authorities bin arrest am bicos im fail to install CCTV camera for im house for Wajir district.

E add say dem arrest 14 oda pipo on di street.

"Dem transfer us to Wadajir district police station wia dem detain us for hours. Dem later release us afta pesin wit goment ID came, vouch for us and get us out," Mr Mohamed tok.

E add say im plus di oda residents don install di CCTV cameras now - but dem dey live in fear.

"As civilians dem force us to buy di cameras, pay to install dem for our homes and risk violence from al-Shabaab. Na like dis di government expect to win hearts and minds?"