Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in three Local Government Areas of Niger State—Munya, Shiroro, and Rafi—have called for urgent action by the government and non-governmental organizations to address severe issues of hunger, disease, and malnutrition threatening their existence in various camps.
During a visit to the Gwada and Kuta camps in Shiroro Local Government Area, the IDPs voiced their concerns in an interview with Radio Nigeria.
They decried the non challant attitude towards their plight by the Niger State Government while appealing to corporate and philanthropic organizations for aid to alleviate their suffering.
IDP Desk Officer and Coordinator Shiroro Local Government Area, Yusuf Bala Kuta had earlier identified health and educational challenges coupled with inadequate food stuffs leading to hunger and mal nutrition as some of the problems militating against their smooth operation.
He said the two IDP camps in Shiroro are housing over 4,055 persons including 38 from Zamfara state while many are staying outside the camp, all of whom he said were displaced by attacks from Boko Haram and bandits at their ancestral homes.
Malam Ahmed Almustapha expressed concern over the high number of out-of-school children, disease prevalence, and inadequate sanitation facilities, with about 80 people sleeping in one classroom.
However, he acknowledged that the Chairman of Shiroro Local Government Area, Akilu Kuta, recently provided them with drugs that lasted for four weeks.
Niger State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Alhaji Baba Suleiman Yumu, stated that there are currently over 40,000 IDPs spread across the state and that Governor Mohammed Umar Bago has been providing them with all the necessary support needed for a comfortable living.
COV/Aliyu Lawal
