From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Yelwata community, displaced after Saturday’s attacks by suspected herdsmen, have protested over their living conditions at the camp.
Recall that the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, and Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Sir James Iorpuu, had on Saturday, 14th June, evacuated IDPs as a result of the attack to a designated temporary camp located at the Ultra Modern International Market, Makurdi.
The protesters, on Thursday, blocked all major entrances leading to the temporary camp located at George Akume Way, Makurdi, to register their displeasure over what they described as maltreatment experienced since their arrival at the camp.
The IDPs accused state government officials of diverting relief materials donated to them by public-spirited individuals and humanitarian organisations.
They cried out that the development has brought untold hardship to them.
One of the IDPs, who identified himself as Fidelis Igban from Yelwata community, lamented that the people in the camp have been starving.
He noted: “People would come to the camp and donate food items and other relief materials to us (IDPs), and once those items were handed over to the officials, they would end up not reaching us.
“Just a few days ago, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, came to the camp and donated some items for onward distribution to IDPs. Until now, we have not seen anything.
“The Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr Paul Enenche, came here and donated materials for our consumption, yet nothing gets to us. We are starving and dying here. We want to go back to our homes.
“We are running away from our comfort homes due to herdsmen attacks after our parents, children, and wives were killed, and now, we are here facing another critical challenge.
“There’s no food, our children are starving, we sleep on the floor, and mosquitoes are almost killing us. We are suffering, and people are dying. Officials overseeing camp management were hoarding and diverting donated materials, and that is our grouse,” he said.
Another IDP, six-month-pregnant Erdoo Targa, also lamented the hunger in the camp, saying since arriving at the camp, some of them have found it difficult to access medical care.
“Government brought us here and abandoned us. No food, no medical care, hunger is killing us, we are starving, and our children are hungry and getting sick day by day. We embarked upon this protest to draw the attention of government and public-spirited individuals to our plight,” she stated.
She appealed to the state government and relevant humanitarian agencies to investigate the alleged misconduct and ensure transparency in the distribution of aid meant for them.
When contacted, Administrative Officer of SEMA, Dr Donald Komgbenda, said the protest was sponsored.
“It was a sponsored protest. When we came to this camp, the actual people that we brought to the camp were about 190, which is about 101 households.
“That night we were able to give them accommodation. So, Tuesday, when the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, visited the camp, he pledged to give the community N10 million, and another senator gave N2 million.
“It was yesterday (Wednesday) that a member of the House of Representatives came and redeemed the pledge. And in the meeting we had, they directed that the Yelwata community be given N6 million, while the balance of N6 million should be used by the camp management and partners to respond to certain things.
“This morning, there was anxiety by some of the people that came out that they wanted to be part of sharing. They were the ones that instigated the people to protest.
“They only used and relied on the issue of lack of food as a cover-up to stage the protest because right now we are distributing food to them. When they came, we wanted to profile them before sharing food. If we do not do that, we might at the end of the day give the food to people who are not supposed to be beneficiaries.
“We were trying to profile them, allocate rooms to them before we know the household number that we have, after which we start sharing the food that would reach everybody. But while we were waiting for the data to be fully collated, we have been distributing food in bulk on a daily basis.
“The first two days that we came, we cooked for them, but because we felt that we could not continue to cook for them every day, given that the crowd of the first two days was about 190 and suddenly it became about 3,541, so we decided to give them raw food.
“On the issue of sharing the money, how do you share the money? It is only when you profile them that you will be able to know the beneficiaries and share the money accordingly.
“So, I told them yesterday (Wednesday) that we have your figure; many people are yet to be registered. We will not start giving the money because the International Organization on Migration, IOM, is helping us to profile them. So, they are acting out of anxiety.
“But we have calmed the situation down, and we have addressed all their challenges, and they will get their N6 million, which is intact.”
