The Nation Newspaper

Tag: displaced

  • 500 displaced as windstorm ravages Cross River community

    Over 500 persons have been displaced in Mbarakom Village in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State as a result of windstorm that ravaged the area, according to a statement by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

    The statement signed by the Director of Information of the agency, Mr David Akate, made available to The Nation in Calabar Wednesday indicated that the windstorm destroyed about 100 residential and public buildings in Mbarakom.

    Also affected were facilities at the Wilmar Company Headquarters, where some buildings in the various camps and communication mast were destroyed, six-room block of the Government Primary School, was completely pulled down, and the community market.

    It read, “Though no life was lost, several persons who sustained injuries are receiving treatment in different clinics and herbal homes.”

    The Director General of SEMA, Mr. Vincent Aquah attributed the natural disaster to the global weather change and advised that measures be taken to avert the severity of future occurrences.

    Mr. Aquah who was represented by the Deputy Director, Relief, Mr. Andy Adeshi outlined some of the measures to include an aggressive planting of trees which would act as windbreakers and the maintenance of buildings as well as the construction of buildings according to government specifications.

    He sympathized with the victims and promised that government would do everything possible within the shortest possible time to alleviate their sufferings.

  • Boko Haram: Displaced Nigerians can’t return home despite liberation of towns

    Boko Haram: Displaced Nigerians can’t return home despite liberation of towns

    Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who fled from northeast  towns and villages are afraid of  returning home  despite liberation of such areas  by soldiers from Boko Haram terrorists,according to reports yesterday.

    The displaced Nigerians are afraid that the terrorists may return with vengeance in the absence of Nigerian soldiers.

    Only troops from Chad and Niger,according to the New York Times, are  visible in someof the affected areas.

    The foreign  soldiers want to leave as they do not want to occupy somebody else’s territory.

    The newspaper cited the recently liberated Damasak in Borno State where it said  ”the only sound in the hot, still air is from military vehicles, carrying soldiers from the neighboring countries of Chad and Niger as they make their way through the wreckage of the deadly five-month Islamist occupation of this Nigerian town. From time to time, the Chadian soldiers ululate to celebrate their victory against the militants in a fierce firefight that stretched into this week.”

    The Chadians  took  a small group of journalists round  the area earlier in the week offering a rare glimpse into a Boko Haram’s   stronghold, and into the dimensions, and difficulties, of a cross-border, four-nation fight against the Islamists.

    The paper  said the visit  revealed “ some of the confusion and resentment that are creating tension among neighbours. The soldiers from Chad and Niger had succeeded here, but there was not a single Nigerian soldier to be found. The force members were bewildered to find themselves as foreign liberators without any help from the Nigerians.”

    Chadian officials in  the capital, N’Djamena,  are said to be complaining aloud about  “ the near-total absence of cooperation from the Nigerians in a crucial regional battle.”

    Nigerian officials, meanwhile, are discounting the extent of Chad’s role.

    One Chadian soldier was quoted as saying: “We asked them to come, to receive this town from us, but they have not come.”

    ”It is because they are afraid,”  LieutenantMohammed  Hassan added, spitting out the words, his face half hidden against the 107-degree heat in a black turban.

    ”We fought on the night of the 14th, and the last attack was on the 15th,” Lieutenant Hassan said. As for the Nigerians, “we called them on the 16th” — after the fight for Damasak had ended — “and told them to come; they didn’t believe we were here,” Lieutenant Hassan said.

    Chad’s  foreign minister, Moussa Faki Mahamat, offered a similar appraisal in an interview Thursday.

    “The Nigerian Army has not succeeded in facing up to Boko Haram,” Mr. Mahamat said.

    “The occupation of these towns, this is up to Nigeria,” he added. “My fondest wish is that they assume their responsibilities.”

  • 8,000 displaced in Southwest

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said about 8,046 persons have been affected by fire and windstorm in the Southwest.

    The figure, according to NEMA, was recorded in January and February in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states.

    A statement by the agency’s Southwest spokesman, Ibrahim Farinloye, recorded 1064 fire victims with 652 being residents of Iwaya, the slum community which has witnessed incessant fire outbreaks and 412 persons being victims of various infernos in Eko Market.

    He said NEMA has given relief materials to the traders through the State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).

    Farinloye said the agency has delivered relief materials to victims of Iwaya fire disaster through the Lagos State Government, including 300 bags of cement, 400 bundles of roofing sheets, 500 pieces of wax fabrics for women and 200 pieces of Guinea Brocade for the men.

    “Others include 100 pieces of children wears; 100 bags of garri, 40 cartons of tea; 60 packets of zinc nails, 60 bags of 3” nails, 150 bags of rice, 500 pieces of blankets, 500 pieces of insecticide treated net.

    “NEMA has also released 400 bags of cements, 300 bundles of roofing sheets, 100 bags of rice, 100 bags of garri, 250 pieces of insecticide treated nets, 500 ceiling boards, 100 bags of 3” nails, 20 bags of sugar and 75 cartons of noodles to LASEMA to be distributed to the victims of fire disaster at Berlin Street, Marina.

    “In Ogun State, Igbo Aje Market, Ilaro of Yewa South, had 306 traders affected by a market fire outbreak that occurred on January 27.

    “About six thousand, six hundred and seventy-six persons were affected in four different incidents of wind and rainstorm disasters that occurred in 6 communities in Afijio Local Government; Lagbondoke and Agunpopo communities of Atiba Local Government; Irewole and Isokan communities in Oyo West Local Government and Oko town in Surulere Local Government in Oyo State.

    “One thousand houses and two hundred and fifty-one shops were affected in all the three states.”

     

     

  • ’Over 1.6m Nigerians are displaced’

    Worried by the activities of insurgents in the North-eastern part of the country which have resulted in the displacement of over 1.5 million Nigerians, a group, Social Welfare Network Initiative, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has suggested that government should introduce air bombardment to dislodge the insurgents.

    This was revealed in Abuja by the National Coordinator of the NGO, Emmanuel Osemeka.

    Osemeka also disclosed that internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps don’t have the capacity to cater for the needs of displaced persons.

    Lamenting the living condition of IDPs, the group said displaced persons lack water, clothing, light, hospital and education.

    Osemeka said: “Our organisation has just concluded an assessment tour of internally displaced persons’ camps and internally displaced persons’ settlements in the states and we can say conservatively that we have over 1.6 million internally displaced persons scattered across four states.

    “We have about 40,000 in Adamawa and Borno. As a whole, we have an estimated 670,000 and 75 per cent of them are women and children. In Yobe State, it is about 80,000. We don’t have the exact figure yet but you know government figures are reduced.

    “In Gombe State where majority of the people who live within the fringes of the states have relocated to, especially in Akko Local Government Area, the figure is over 120,000 which makes the figure more than a million.

    The coordinator, who described the condition of the IDPs as pathetic said: “The truth is that people are angry and they feel they are not part of this society. That is why they can try to fight the society and create their own enclave.

    He, however, called on relevant authorities to provide relief materials for them. “It is time we mobilised relief materials for these people and show them love before another charlatan will come and tell them that they are hated. So, it is time we began to help them and show some level of kindness to them so that whatever it is that is going on in their head will be corrected.

    “Our indecision is inadvertently recreating another monster. It is time everybody got out of their comfort zone to help the people. We have neglected them enough. We have to look for solution. I recommend that citizen intervention begins now,” he said.

    On how to end insurgency, he said the military should use air bombardment.

    “There should have been consistent air bombardment before now. Even if it lasted for one week, the insurgents would have been dislodged so that people can go back to their homes.

    “We have the issue of human rights and also the issue of protecting the territorial integrity and of course ensuring that we don’t have colossal damage. But the truth is that we will surely have colossal damage because we cannot identify the members of insurgency group except for the ones that are carrying guns and facing our military which are of insignificant number.

    “So, the military has no choice than to deploy every arsenal to end the activities of the insurgents. We cannot continue like this. We are only postponing the evil day. We have more innocent people dying and more that will die. So, it is better for us to take care of the situation now.”

  • 116,000 displaced persons in Yobe, says NEMA

    116,000 displaced persons in Yobe, says NEMA

    There are 116,000 people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Yobe State, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday.

    Relief items worth N500m have been distributed to the 116,000 internally displaced persons by the Presidential Committee on Relief Procurement and Distribution.

    The agency, in a statement yesterday, said the Federal Government approved N1.5bn for the special committee under NEMA’s chairmanship.

    While distributing the relief materials in Damaturu, NEMA Director General Sani Sidi, who is also the PCRP chairman, said the items were procured based on identified basic needs of the people.

    According to him, proper arrangements had been made to ensure direct distribution to the target beneficiaries, adding that the items would be distributed by NEMA officials in collaboration with officials of the Yobe State government and the Nigerian Red Cross.

    Sidi, who was represented by the agency’s Director of Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Alhassan Nuhu, said another consignment was in Gashua for distribution to the IDPs in the northern areas of the state.

    He said about 15,000 displaced persons were in Damaturu while others were in various locations across the state.

    Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Abdu Bulama, said the relief items were in furtherance of the fight against insurgency and provision of necessary support to those affected by the security challenge in the NorthEast.

    Yobe State Governor, Mr. Ibrahim Geidam, who was represented by his deputy Abubakar Aliyu assured that the state would cooperate with the Federal Government to address the security challenge and support the affected persons

    He had announced over the weekend that since the inception of the Boko Haram insurgency the state had expended over N10 billion.

    Aliyu who spoke during Dr. Bulama’s visit lamented that the huge amount of money the state is sinking on the fight of the insurgency is becoming a source of concern especially considering the meagre allocation the state gets from the federation account.

    He said the state spends approximately N300million monthly for logistics of military personnel, adding that the state had also distributed relief material worth sum of N430milion for internally displaced people.

    He urged the Federal Government which he described as a ‘big brother’ to come to Yobe’s rescue by allocating special grant to enable the state continue its amelioration programme.

     

  • Boko Haram: 700 Borno displaced persons flee to Nasarawa

    Boko Haram: 700 Borno displaced persons flee to Nasarawa

    About 700 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Gwoza, Chibok, Bama and its environs in Borno State have fled to Kwubaru village in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

    The IDPs, including men, women and children, are in three camps – Kwubaru, Angwar Jama’a and Takwa. They have been relocating to the village since March to escape the insurgency in the Northeast.

    But since they arrived, no government agency acknowledged their presence or sent materials.

    The IDPs, it was learnt, survive on the stipends from well-meaning Nigerians and from other forms of assistance from their host community.

    They alleged that soldiers came in trucks and Hilux vans to harass them and arrest the Chief of Kwubaru for harbouring them.

    In the Kwubaru camp, only women and children sleep in one of the nine mud houses and there could be as many as 12 people or more in one room. The men sleep on sacks and mats outside, whatever the weather.

    These were among the allegations of members of the #BringBackOurGirls when they visited the camp to confirm the existence of IDPs near Abuja and to assist them with materials, including foodstuffs, clothing, blankets, mattresses, among others.

    Leader of the IDPs and former Headmaster of Ghwaa Primary School in Gwoza, Mallam Yohanna Wurawa, explained that he escaped from Gwoza with his family after his house and the school were razed.

    According to him, his family and a few others were assisted by the Stephanus Foundation to Kwabaru.

    Murawa said: “My wife suggested that we relocated to Abuja because my wife had stayed with Maclindo, the director of the Stephanus Foundation, before.

    “I contacted him and explained our problem. He promised to come down with me to Abuja in search of help. We came to the Chief of Karu and asked for help because our people were suffering in Gwoza and other parts of the Northeast.”

  • Two killed, 10,000 displaced in Benue

    Two persons have been killed and 10,000 displaced at Dzev in Shangev-Ya District of Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State by suspected youths from Mbakyaa kindred.

    Among the deceased was a woman, who was already bedridden in one of the clinics in the crisis- ridden community and a young man, who was shot in the stomach.

    Police spokesman Daniel Ezeala, who confirmed the incident, said peace had been restored, following a stakeholders’ meeting in Adikpo at the weekend.

  • Insecurity: 600,000 displaced in Northeast

    Over 600,000 persons have been displaced in the Northeast, as a result of increasing rate of insurgency.

    The Nigeria Refugee Commission gave this figure while addressing reporters yesterday in Abuja as part of programmes to commemorate World Humanitarian Day.

    The commission expressed fear over the increasing number of the  internally displaced persons.

    The Commissioner, Hadiza Kangiwa, said the recent security challenges in the North has worsened the situation of such persons.

    She noted that over 70,000 Nigerians have fled to neighbouring countries like Niger and Cameroon.

    Kangiwa said: “As at last month, we have an estimated figure of 600,000 displaced Nigerians. Fifty thousand crossed  into Niger as refugees and 30,000 went into Cameroon.

    “We believe that the world needs more helping hands to guarantee our mutual co-existence, both now and in the future.”

    To encourage people and organisations who render services to refugees, the commission plans to give award to those engaging in humanitarian works.

    She said: “There is an urgent need to institute an award for the deserving individuals or groups for their dedication to humanitarian work. Such gesture would certainly inspire others in delivering selfless service to humanity and also provide succour to families of those who may have lost their loved ones or suffered severe injuries due to their exposure to life-threatening situations.”

  • Displaced persons in Benue told to forgive their attackers

    Displaced persons in Benue told to forgive their attackers

    A Catholic priest in charge of St Francis Catholic Mission, Daudu, Benue State, Rev. Father Solomom Ukeyima has urged victims of Fulani attacks to forgive those who sacked them from their ancestral homes.

    Father Ukeyima admonished internally displaced persons to see their travails as a necessary cross they must bear, as Jesus Himself did.

    In his Easter sermon at St Mary Primary School, North Bank, Makurdi, where over 200 victims of Fulani attacks are taking refuge, the Catholic priest said they must learn to forgive their attackers even though they have been sacked, their relations killed, and driven away from their home.

    He said Easter is the feast of love and they must love and forgive one another.

    Father Ukeyima, who is also displaced from his mission in Daudu, due to the attacks, told the displaced that better things are coming after their temporary setback.

    Also speaking after the mass, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), representing Makurdi North in the House of Assembly, Hon. Avine Agbom appealed to Governor Gabriel Suswam to work towards the return of the displaced to their homes before the rains set in.

    Hon. Agbom said there are secret killings going on as farmers who attempt to get back to their farms are killed by Fulani militia.

    He called on soldiers deployed to Benue to protect the helpless farmers.

    Chairman Benue Network of Civil Societies, Mr Justine Gbagir urged the Benue State government to set up camps and care for the multitude of displaced persons affected by Fulani attacks.

    Gbagir, a lawyer, stated that the essence of governance is welfare and citizens have killed, their houses set ablaze and some have no place to sleep, yet government is doing nothing.

    He said asking the farmers to go back to their destroyed homes without giving them the necessary logistics to start life afresh is inhuman.

    The priest, in the spirit of Easter shared food for the displaced person who danced and sang.

  • Nine killed, 3,250 displaced in Bauchi floods

    Nine people have been confirmed dead and over 3,250 displaced in the floods that ravaged two local governments in Bauchi State in the past week.

    No fewer than 17 others were injured.

    Officials of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) confirmed the figures to our reporter who visited the affected local governments.

    SEMA’s Director of Planning, Alhaji Musa Habu, said: “More people might have died in the floods in the remote parts of the state where communication is difficult.”

    He stressed that “there could be more deaths ahead, but we pray against that”.

    Habu also said over 1,529 homes had been destroyed. Over 2,217 farmlands with crops have been submerged.

    The SEMA director noted that “with the continuous downpour, it is obvious that more farmlands will be submerged in the next few days”.

    The local governments recorded the losses, despite several warnings by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMIT) and the state authorities that “more rains and floods are expected in some parts of Bauchi State”.

    Habu said N331,973,041 is needed to meet the displaced persons’ daily needs at the 123 locations in the 15 local government areas.

    He said efforts were being made to supply them what the agency has.

    In a broadcast about two weeks ago, Governor Isa Yuguda warned residents near the river basins to relocate to avoid loss of lives and property.

    He said: “People must stop blocking waterways, erecting buildings on water paths and throwing wastes into drainage.

    The Nation learnt that five people died and five others were hospitalised in Bogoro Local Government Area. In Bauchi Local Government, the dead include a 20-year old woman, a 28-year old man and a little girl, whose age was not disclosed. They were said to have drowned.

    A man, whose name, age and home local government were not given, was rescued and taken to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) in Bauchi. He was said to have died on Tuesday.

    A source also told our reporter that a woman and two men drowned in Duguri District of Alkaleri Local Government Area early this week.

    At the time of this report, SEMA was planning to move 240 bags of rice, 140 bags of guinea corn, 110 bags of corn, 85 bags of millet, 100 bundles of zinc, several bags of sugar and salt, cartons of detergent, assorted soap, clothing materials for men and women, plastic plates, mattresses and other essentials to the affected persons at various camps across the state.