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Tag: IDP camps

  • Banditry: Benue farmers flee ancestral farmlands, seek refuge in IDP camps

    Banditry: Benue farmers flee ancestral farmlands, seek refuge in IDP camps

    Food security has come under severe threats in some Benue communities, a region widely regarded as the food basket of Nigeria, due to renewed attacks on farmers by bandits.

    The Sankera geo-political bloc, comprising Ukum, Logo, and Katsina Ala local government areas in Benue North East Senatorial Zone, has been the epicenter of these attacks.

    Armed bandits have carried out numerous deadly attacks, killing hapless peasant farmers, destroying crops, and setting houses ablaze.

    In January 2026 alone, there were about 25 attacks in  Ukum, Logo, and Katsina Ala local government areas, predominantly affecting farmers.

    The attacks have affected preparations for the new farming season, leaving farmers in perpetual fear and forcing them to flee their ancestral farmland to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.

    There are fears that if the insecurity in the area is not contained, it will negatively impact food production, affecting not only Benue State but the entire nation.

    Farmers, who are mostly able-bodied young men and women, are now idle in IDP camps while their farmlands lie fallow. Children who should be in school are also living in those camps with their aged parents, leaving the affected areas with no one to engage in farming activities.

    A farmer in Chito, Azendeshi ward, Ukum Local Government Area, Uzenda Hur, warned that if the federal and state governments fail to protect farmers, there would be severe food scarcity in the new year.

    Uzenda Hur stated: “We farmers are supposed to be preparing the soil ahead of the new farming season, which will start with the first rain, but we are still in IDP camps. So, who will do the farming?”

    In Logo Local Government Area, the situation is even worse, especially in Gaambetiev settlements, which are close to River Benue and the farmers engage in all-year farming activities.

    Settlements in Tse Dzungwe, Tse Gbeleve ,Poovule, Anyibe and hundreds of other have been deserted .

    For example, in Tombo Ward, Gaambetiev, Logo Local Government Area, all the farmers in the hinterland have moved to Ayilamo, the ward headquarters, due to attacks by suspected herdsmen who have killed more than 30 persons, mostly farmers between December last year and now.

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    Tersoo Unande, a 55-year-old farmer with two wives and eight children, told our correspondent that suspected herdsmen have taken over their farmlands for more than 10 years.

    Unande said:

    “Since 2026 when herdsmen launched attacks on my settlement in Tse Dzungwe, Mbakorya, Mbaiwem, I have not gone back to my ancestral home.

    I had to look for a safe area for farming, because I have children and a wife to feed.”

    The worst scenario is that heavily armed herdsmen have turned his farm into their settlement, and it seems the security personnel are helpless.

    Unande appreciated the Inspector General of Police’s approval of a divisional police office in Ayilamo, Tombo, and increased police personnel and operational vehicles; a step likely to improve the security situation.

    However, Unande urged the government and security agencies to rework their mode of operation to safeguard farmers,. Otherwise, no one will farm, and there will be no food this year.

    In Katsina Ala Local Government area, the insecurity situation is not getting better either, with a series of attacks taking place since the new year began.

    The Council Chairmen of Katsina Ala and Ukum local governments have been effective in mobilising security personnel to secure their people and communities.

    Hon. Shaku Justice and Hon. Jonathan Modi said they had been able to mobilise soldiers to secure the lives of farmers and rural  communities.

    Hon. Modi stated: “Before now, most of the farmers, especially those on the border, were sacked by suspected armed herdsmen. But as a local government council, we have been able to launch counter-attacks or dialogue with the bandits to recover the settlements.”

    Katsina Ala Local Government Area is also home to large yam-producing communities, including food, and other  crops generally.

    However, renewed attacks and killings have laid waste whatever achievements the Council Chairman might have recorded in the area of security.

    But the local government authorities said they are doing every thing possible to change the situation for better so  that farmers can return to their farming bussiness.

    A traditional ruler, Chief Torbee Najir, told our correspondent that the only solution to the persistent attacks and killing of farmers is to deploy more soldiers to food-producing settlements and establish permanent military barracks and formations.

    Chief Najir warned: “If urgent steps are not taken, one day, the entire nation will sleep hungry because there will be no food to eat.”

    The Chief Press Secretary to the Benue State Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, told The Nation that it is the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia that has put an end to the impunity of suspected herdsmen attacks on defenceless Benue farmers.

    Kula said: “Before now, there were series of killings and the armed herdsmen operated with impunity.

    “But Governor Hyacinth Alia, through deliberate partnership with security agencies, has put a stop to wanton destruction of rural settlements and killing of farmers, and will continue to protect every Benue citizen across the 23 local government areas of the state.”

  • FG to improve literacy, reading culture among children in IDP camps

    FG to improve literacy, reading culture among children in IDP camps

    The federal government has disclosed plans to improve reading culture and reduce illiteracy levels among children living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across the country.

    This was disclosed by the Director for IDPs at the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Fatima Maman Daura, during the launch of two books to commemorate the 16 days of activism and to restore the hope of the girl child in North-East Nigeria.

    She also disclosed plans to distribute the books authored by Mrs Teresa Ameh to children in IDP camps as part of measures to improve reading culture. 

    She said, “We will purchase and distribute the books for the benefit of our displaced children. We set up transitional learning centres across states where we have high displaced populations and the transitional learning centres are designed to provide accelerated learning for displaced children.

    “We have centres in Abuja, Katsina, Bauchi, Zamfara, Cross River and Imo and we’re hoping to expand as we get more resources. 

    “Part of our interventions is to improve literacy and numeracy and provide education; bridge the gap for the IDP children and then transition them into conventional schools. These books will improve their literacy because the books were written by a Nigerian author.”

    The Author of the book, Mrs. Teresa Ameh, said she met all the requirements to attract children’s attention.

    She said, “I have been writing for children for the past 20 years now

    The books launched are colorful, they are not voluminous, the size is just the right size for children because their attention span is very short and we need to give them what they need.”

    On the importance of reading, she said, “Media houses should also help encourage children to read by coming up with jingles or columns in the newspapers because reading helps form the mind. 

    “We are trying to bring up children that can interact with other children anywhere. We want to go beyond having children who know mathematics, we want them to be well grounded on different topics.”

    “When we talk about adults who don’t read, it’s because we brought up children. Children who don’t read will grow up to become adults who don’t read too. So, we need to start changing and encourage our young.ones to imbibe reading culture.”

  • NGO launches initiative in IDP camps

    NGO launches initiative in IDP camps

    National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons as well as Cormode Cancer Foundation are partnering to tackle cancer in  IDP camps and host communities,  according to a statement in Lagos.

    The partnership is to set up Cormode Cancer clubs in  schools to educate pupils about cancer prevention and early detection.

    Commission’s Federal Commissioner, Tijani Aliyu, said the initiative would improve health and well-being of displaced persons, reduce stigma associated with cancer, and empower young people to advocate for cancer awareness.

    “We are excited to endorse launch of the first 150 Cancer Champions in September, a milestone to attract donors.”

    Dr. Denise Ejoh, founder of the foundation,  noted the project would make a difference in those with cancer.

    Read Also: 200 children in IDP camps get academic, vocational skills empowerment

    “Through this partnership, we hope to educate and empower young people, providing them with tools and knowledge to prevent and detect cancer early,” she said.

    She explained the programme would address the emotional and psychological aspects of cancer and displacement, offering grief and trauma education to build resilience and hope.

    Mrs Ndidi Odia, club coordinator and daughter of a cancer survivor, highlighted the need for educating caregivers and providing support to those affected by cancer.

    “As someone who understands the challenges of living with cancer through my mother’s experience, I recognise the importance of educating people, especially caregivers, about this disease.

  • 200 children in IDP camps get academic, vocational skills empowerment

    200 children in IDP camps get academic, vocational skills empowerment

    In a significant stride towards transforming and uplifting lives and communities across Nigeria, the Emily Ayalla Foundation has partnered with the Evergreen Initiative to train 200 displaced children in IDP camps.

    This collaboration, under the Project TutorED program, aims to provide these children with essential academic and vocational skills, thereby improving their chances for a better and more fulfilling life.

    Now in its 8th year, Project TutorED has consistently demonstrated resilience in its mission to uplift the lives of children in IDP camps, who have been displaced by insecurity, insurgency, and poverty across Nigeria.

    Since its inception, over 700 children have been equipped with profitable skills to support themselves while also attending to their academic needs.

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    Commenting on the partnership, the Chairman of Evergreen Initiative, Alli-Bob Cinwon, remarked, “It is difficult and almost impossible to do what we do at Project TutorED and at Evergreen Initiative in general without reliable partners, volunteers, and sponsors. We are glad that the Emily Ayalla Foundation has decided to join us this year to impact these children.”

    Emily Ayalla, the founder of the Emily Ayalla Foundation, expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “Initiatives like Project TutorED are very impressive and showcase the true Nigerian spirit that cannot be dampened and that always seeks ways to help the next person. This partnership perfectly aligns with our mission and goals at the foundation, and we are excited to partner with Evergreen to make a meaningful impact on the lives of these children.”

    Asibor E. Philip, the Project Coordinator for Project TutorED, shared his thoughts, saying, “I am really glad and immensely grateful to collaborate with the Emily Ayalla Foundation to carry out TutorED this year. This partnership shows that we are not alone in the quest to improve the lives of Nigerian children affected by insecurity and insurgency. We call on more well-meaning Nigerians to join us in this fight.”

    This year, Project TutorED is being conducted simultaneously across four states: Abuja, Yola, Lagos, and Delta. The program will impact over 200 children and 50 volunteers, reflecting the broad reach and profound influence of this initiative.

  • Killings: Hunger, insecurity loom in North/West – HRC

    Human Right Commission (HRC) on Tuesday raised alarm that, hunger and further security threats loom in North Western states of Nigeria.

    The commission said these would be caused by the inability of those displaced by killings and other unrest in the states to return to their ancestral homes and farms.

    Coordinator of the commission in Kaduna, Gwar E. Terngu, stated this when he visited one of the IDP camps, in Kaduna where people displaced by the recent Kajuru killings were taking refuge, for on-the-spot assessment.

    Terngu said, the country especially, North-West states may suffer food insecurity and hunger if government fails to relocate the IDPs back home in good time.

    According to him, “All the efforts so far provided are from individuals’. There has not been serious intervention from the government according to them. The place is overcrowded for 2,511 people. What they actually need is rebuilding of their ruins.

    “They are willing to go back to their homes. We may have issues around food security. More people will become poorer. More people may end up adding to security challenge in the country. The earlier they go back to their place the better for them.

    “Raining season is here and these people are agrarians who survive in farming activities. Apart from their own economy setback, this is hunger looking at us in the face. The government should help them to go back to their homes.

    “We don’t just want to act based on what we see in the newspapers. We want to be here to see things for ourselves. We will put our report together and send to the headquarters for possible intervention,” he said.

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    Chairman, Committee on Adara Town Hall Camp, Musa Magaji, said, the displaced persons were willing to go back to their homes if their houses are rebuilt and security of their lives and properties guaranteed by the state and federal governments.

    According to him, “initially, we have 2,511 displaced persons here. But after the latest attack, that number has increased. We have 1,000 children and over 1,000 about 500 men.

    “The challenge here is water and toilet and that was why we don’t even allow them to sleep here because of these things. We also need food and security.

    “We have different statistics on IDP camps. Sabon Tasha, Kasuwan Magani, Mararaban Kajuru, Kufana, Iburu, Idon,Crossing and Kachia. In all, we have about 11,000 people there and all of them are willing to go back home.”

  • In Bakassi, sordid images of children in IDP camps

    It is common knowledge that at the height of the Boko Haram crisis, an estimated 1.8 million people escaped from the Northeast zone. Of these, one million are children who now live in Internally Displaced Camps (IDP). The Virtual Reality documentary, In Bakassi, revisits how the deplorable state of one of the camps affects children, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME.

    Eleven-year-old orphan, Modu Mustapha, is one of the children who escaped for safety with his younger siblings after his father was killed in a suicide bombing. He has lived in Bakassi IDP Camp for three years. His narrative  took viewers on a journey through his new home, which houses over 35,000 IDPs. Bakassi IDP Camp is one of the most populated.

    “They planted a bomb in the market … that’s how my papa died,” little Modu recalled in a five-minute Virtual Reality documentary, titled: In Bakassi screened to a select audience at a viewing centre, Hub-NG, Yaba Lagos.

    The documentary produced and directed by Mr. Joel ‘Kachi Benson, made its debut at the Cairo International Film Festival as first Nigerian VR film to screen at an international film festival last month.

    Apart from living in squalid conditions, the children, many of whom are orphans, have little or no access to proper education. Uprooted from their homes and forever disconnected from their parents, these orphans now live in Bakassi, where life is hard, food is scarce, and every day is a struggle to survive.

    From scavenging for food to learning under poor conditions, and inadequate security of life and property, the children at Bakassi are metaphors of a failed society. For Modu, life at Bakassi is more than a challenge as he took up the responsibility of providing for the family at 12.  He pushed wheel barrow, assisted people to do menial works in order to earn some money, which he also saved to pay his school fees. Undaunted, Modu remained optimistic of getting a better education in the city, a dream that later came to pass.

    Benson described the screening, the reactions and discussions generated from the documentary as stimulants to put the issues on front burner. He noted that ‘if discussions like these do not take place, no action will be taken about the situation in IDPs.’

    According to Benson, who has travelled around the Northeast region in the past three years, filming the impacts ofthe Boko Haram insurgency exposed him to the damage not just to property and infrastructure but also to lives, especially children.

    “In Africa, we have a saying: “when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. The biggest victims of the Boko Haram insurgency are the children, and every time I visit the Northeast I try to return with at least one story, to share. On one of my trips to Yola, I met a young IDP who’d been shot while fleeing for safety with his siblings. He survived, but his left leg was amputated.

    “Whenever I’m asked to recount some of my experiences in Northeast Nigeria, I usually just say some things are better experienced than told. Of course, as much as they would love to, not many people would brave a trip to the Northeast to see things for themselves, but with this new technology, VR, they are able to not just see but”experience” as though they were there. In Bakassi is a film that gives you a glimpse into what life is like for a child in an IDPCamp; where everyone struggles to survive, and where the next meal could be dead meat in a rubbish dump,” he said.

    He observed that many people were making money from the bad situations in IDPs, adding that if ‘’Aljazeera and CNN can come here to tell us our stories, why can’t we do the same using the VR medium?’’

    On the use of VR camera, Benson said: “It involved the use of 360 degrees cameras and we did lots of pre-production works. In fact, lots of takes, sometimes a nightmare. Lotso f planning went into it and experiences as regular film maker gave me some level of trust. You must also keep your eyes open and hope for the best. In Bakassi took us about three weeks to complete.

    Jumoke Sanwolu, a female artist working on VR documentary titled: Lagos at large, who was at the screening of In Bakassi, said she was interested in using sound to tell the Lagos story while exploring three aspects of sound, city and people.

    “I am excited at the project because we can tell our own stories. We don’t have the excuse not to learn the technology to tell our stories. We need to use it to tell positive stories, see us as object and not as subject,” she said.

  • Humanitarian catastrophe in IDP camps

    Among the myriad of conflicts relentlessly decimating lives in many states across Nigeria, two in the north stand out like a festering sore thumb. These are the vicious Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast and the egregious onslaught of herdsmen in the North-central states. Since the outset of the Boko Haram’s ruinous campaign in June of 2009 after the extrajudicial killing of the Islamist sect’s leader, Muhammed Yusuf, many lives, businesses, and homes have been destroyed. Similarly, the consuming fire of conflict ignited by herdsmen has led to the loss of lives and displacement of many persons. The disturbing conflicts of death and dispossession championed by these nihilistic groups have also led to the internal displacement of many people in those areas lucky enough to escape death. Today, in the different states in both the Northeast and North-central are a number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps. These are now the abodes of many of the people violently displaced by those pitiless bands of murderers.

    It is the depressing humanitarian condition in these camps that I seek to highlight and urge compassionate Nigerians to intervene in order to help address the mind-boggling situation of the IDPs. The issue calls for a strategic intervention on the part of respected, informed, and public-spirited individuals and groups. It is my fervent hope that the humanitarian condition of these IDPs will move and rouse Nigerians into action for the good of the people concerned and the country as a whole.

    In an address he delivered early this year on “Sustainable Cities, Human Mobility and International Migration” at the 51st Session of the Commission on Population and Development in New York, chairman of Nigeria’s Population Commission (NPC), EzeDuruiheoma, revealed that the Displacement Tracking Matrix round XXI of January 2018 identified an estimated “1.7 million IDPs in over 321,580 households across six states of North-East Nigeria with 40 percent residing in camp-like settings in urban areas.” The NPC chairman noted further that the number of IDPs represented “4.5 per cent increase compared to the 1,702,680 identified in Round XX” of December 2017. These displacements, the chairman maintained, are “due to security issues in the country.” Evident in Duruiheoma’s address is the fact that there is no abatement in the rise of IDPs in the north.

    Although the federal government has deployed the army to these theatres of conflicts, normalcy is still far from being restored there. What is even more worrisome is that the IDP camps have become another site of conflicts where the inhabitants, to analogize, who had escaped from the poisonous fangs of the Boko Haram and the herdsmen’s tigers are now increasingly ending up in the belly of the hyena of hunger, illness and disease, insecurity, avoidable deaths, and poverty. In other words, the IDP camps have become another conflict arena devaluing the lives of the beleaguered inhabitants. If what led them to these camps was traumatizing, what they are undergoing here is even more traumatizing.

    For example, on January 17, 2017, about 236 IDPs were reportedly killed and over 100 injured after a Nigerian Air Force jet “mistakenly” bombed an IDP camp near the Cameroonian border in Rann, Borno State. According to newspaper reports, the pilot had mistaken the camp for a Boko Haram bivouac. One can only imagine the trauma of those whose family members were snatched from them by that tragic incident they thought they had escaped from. Some who had lost family members before coming to this camp lost some more here.

    Similarly, there are reports that soldiers and members of the civilian joint task force deployed to IDP camps to provide security rape women and girls and in other instances demand sex from mothers in exchange for food. According to reports, many women inhabiting the IDP camps in Borno State are not finding their sojourn in those temporary homes any peaceful because soldiers assault them sexually. In June 2017, these women filed a petition through the assistance of the Knifar Movement, a body advocating for the rights of displaced persons, to the National Assembly to come to their aid. They revealed in their petition that about 466 of them have died in the “Bama Hospital camp, while 279 others in the area are being detained in military barracks and Maiduguri maximum prison for offences they did not commit.” For these IDPs, the hardship and violence they are faced with in the camps are hardly distinguishable from the conflicts they ran away from.

    What is more, the condition of children in the IDP camps proves even more distressing. According to a UNICEF Nigeria Humanitarian Situation Report, January – June 2018, about “4.5 million children [are] in need of humanitarian assistance.” In a report published last year by The Independent Newspaper (London), UNICEF revealed that “the terrorist insurgency of Boko Haram has left 400,000 children severely malnourished and millions more in desperate need of humanitarian assistance after they fled their homes.” According to the paper, the agency warned that “90,000 children could die of severe acute malnutrition in the coming year [2018] unless the international community takes swift action,” meaning more than 240 child deaths each day. As the avoidable death of children mounts in those neglected camps, widespread abuse, systematic violation of children’s rights, coupled with sexual exploitation and coerced recruitment of children into armed militia groups, reign unchecked. And quietly the Nigerian state, by its inelegant attention to the fate of these kids, displaced by an insurgent group whose punishing existence was totally avoidable in the first place, is watching some of its children morph into killers.

    Insurgent groups like Boko Haram are always in need of fresh hands to deploy into their evil mission. Already, there are reports of children being used by Boko Haram as suicide bombers in communities and IDP camps. This group poaches children from the poorly protected and loosely managed IDP camps and presses them into nefarious activities like detonating bombs and acting as informants. Between January and June this year, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Boko Haram has used “43 children for suicide bombing.” UNOCHA informed that last year the Islamist group abducted and used “146 children (mainly girls) as human bombs.” The IDP camps in the Northeast have become fertile grounds for Boko Haram and other insurgent groups to replenish their human agents. In fact, as many newspapers reported recently, quoting the Borno State Police Command, terrorist organizations like Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), a faction of ISIS, has its spies operating from IDP camps in the state. Early November, Boko Haram attacked another IDP camp in Borno State and left in the wake of that attack a number of dead bodies, some of whom were children.

    Without doubt, as in other things, the condition of children in and out of special camps in Nigeria attests most consistently to the failure of the Nigerian state. Therefore, it will make a huge sense if patriotic, peace-loving, and kind-hearted Nigerians can intervene and be uncompromisingly forceful in their demand of a better attention to the plight of the IDPs. If the ongoing governments’ neglect of those camps continue and the various factions of Boko Haram gain more access into those places, abducting children and turning them into killing machines, the war against insurgency will endure and more theatres of war engendered. Something needs to be done as a matter of urgency to bail the IDPs out of their dehumanizing misery and grant them comforting relief from the excruciating torture and agony of hunger, insecurity, violence, and deprivation.

    As it is to any minder of events in Nigeria, the federal government, especially under the current administration, loves to leave problems to resolve themselves. But the horrendous humanitarian condition in the IDP camps is not an issue that will automatically resolve itself. Neither will the insecurity devaluing and cutting short promising lives cease of its own accord. The IDPs’ saddening condition calls for strategic intervention on the part of revered, well-connected, public-inclined citizens. In addition to all the efforts concerned Nigerians and groups will undertake to address the IDPs issue, there is also the need to get the federal government to change its attitude to the Nigerians in these camps and act pragmatically to address their plight. There is an urgent need to nudge the government to put together a coherent policy to handle the IDPs’ issue. Such a policy will also include the resettlement of these people into communities for them to begin to live normal again.

     

    • Ademola sent this piece from University of Manitoba, Canada.

     

  • ISIS terrorists have links in Borno IDP camps – Police

    The Borno Police Command said on Wednesday that the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), a faction of ISIS, had its spies operating from Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno.

    Ahmed Bello, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Borno Command, disclosed this while giving update on security situation at a Humanitarian and Development Coordination Forum in Maiduguri.

    Bello, who represented the Commissioner of Police, Demien Chukwu, said it was established that three among the 22 ‘Boko-Haram’ insurgents arrested two months ago, were members of ISIS.

    He disclosed that the terrorists usually stationed their stooge at the IDP camps to perpetrate chaos, without being noticed.

    “We had launched radio programmes aimed at sensitising the larger society on the need to be sensitive of their environment.

    “It will interest you to note that some of the affected victims in camps were not IDPs. We have our ways of rating them to the classes of A.B.C.

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    “So if you find any suspicious person, do not just send him away, but arrest him beccause the terrorists have their sympathisers; they are the people that are giving them information,”he said.

    He explained that the arrest of the culprit had led to drastic reduction in cases of bomb blasts perpetrated by the insurgents, using Improvised Explossive Device in Maiduguri metropolis.

    In his remarks, Bashir Garga, NEMA Northeast Zonal Coordinator, commended the police and other security agencies for providing protection to the IDPs and creating safe working environment for humanitarian aid workers in the Northeast.

  • Boko Haram: Group shutdown UNICEF office over alleged sex reports in IDP camps

    The federal government of Nigeria has been asked to sanction leadership of the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) over their alleged suspicious plots to embolden and promote terrorism in the country.

    Coalition for Peace in Nigeria (CFPN), who made this call, wondered why a reputable organization like UNICEF would allow some of its staff to enlist in the club of undercover agents of foreign forces against Nigeria, in disguised support for terrorism.

    CFPN during a protest to the UNICEF Office in Abuja on Friday, lamented the alleged attempts by some international organizations, who have rendered themselves to do some disgusting undercover jobs  for foreign forces which have sworn to destabilize, polarize and divide  Nigeria.

    Comrade Danesi Momoh, National Convener, who spoke on behalf of the group, slammed the current leadership of UNICEF for deviating from the vision of its founding fathers.

    Momoh said, “We are aware of the many attempts by some international organizations who have rendered themselves to do some disgusting undercover jobs  for foreign forces which have sworn to destabilize, polarize and divide  Nigeria.

    “It is no secret that such organizations are laying the template for the country’s total breakup through terrorism by often manufacturing and fabricating  outright falsehoods, timed to rhyme with the periods the Nigerian military is breaking grounds in the war against terror,  particularly in the Northeast.

    “However, what never occurred to us is the possibility that a reputable organization like UNICEF would allow some of its staff to enlist in the club of undercover agents of foreign forces against Nigeria, in disguised support for terrorism.

    “Of course, you are aware of the latest sensational report cooked by three staff of UNICEF, namely; Priscilla Hoveyda, Maher Farea and Milen Kidane, who are working in the Northeast. The trio conspiratorially released a report alleging Nigerian troops raped 20  girls in IDP camps in Borno state.

    “This transparently condemnable, false and malicious report against Nigerian troops, yawningly betrayed  the satanic motives of the crafters or originators. And we believe it is intended to denigrate the Nigerian military, project a bad image about Nigeria before the comity of nations and dampen the morale of troops on the warfront against terrorists and nothing more. We know these paid agents have designed the report to undermine the fighting spirit of troops, to enable  remnants of terrorists regain lost grounds to the pleasure of the sponsors.

    “Furthermore, the timing of this fictional and imaginary report is to halt or frustrate the sale of Tucano jets to Nigeria, at a time the Nigerian Government has reached advanced stages in actions over the contract with the United States Government for the purchase of 10  Tucano jets to assist the military battle terrorism in the country.

    “The  report from the UNICEF  staff has understandably provoked outrage from Nigerians, especially the  coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) who have  demanded a retraction and an apology  from UNICEF to the Nigerian military and the  Government of Nigeria.

    “We are amazed that UNICEF has forgotten its main briefs in the Northeast. The organization has declined from responding to the humanitarian crisis and needs as it affects children in IDP camps. It has fortuitously become an alarmist and a pillar of covert support of sponsors and agents of terrorists tormenting our country. It is inexplicable to think that after abandoning their noble mandates, they would rather prefer to  serve as  ransom negotiator and cover for Boko Haram terrorists.

    “We wish to remind the apparently compromised UNICEF staff that in the not too distant past, the same organization  commended the Nigerian military for its perfect  professional outings, especially in the Northeast.

    “We recall that in February 2017,  this positive recommendation came from UNICEF’s Country Representative, Mr. Mohammed Fall when he visited the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division of Nigerian Army in Maiduguri,  Brig.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu.

    “Mr. Fall specifically said,  “Thank you for protecting civilians and by extension protecting children which is part and parcel of our mandate.’’  It is the same military some odious staff of UNICEF are attempting to denigrate and defame now with a mischievous and fake report.

    “Like other CSOs have separately and jointly emphasized, we lend our voice to this cause. We demand for the immediate withdrawal of that report on our military as it contains nothing, other than baseless lies, fabrications, and unfounded or insane outbursts crafted to sabotage the ongoing war on terror in the country.

    “UNICEF and the staff fingered in this aberration have 21 days ultimatum to retract the repulsive report.  Any thought of disregarding this ultimatum by refusal to issue a corresponding rebuttal of the infamous report within the stipulated time frame, we shall have no option than  to return to permanently occupy  UNICEF  office in Abuja, until they  are forced to vacate Nigeria.

    “No Nigerian is ready to tolerate any attempt by any individual or organization to prolong the pains and agony of innocent children and women in the hands of Boko Haram even for one extra  day. The gains on the war on terrorism cannot be reversed either, with such grand plots and conspiracies against the Nigerian military.

    “We want to make it abundantly clear that the Nigerian military is a cherished asset of the Nigerian people. And no person or organization would be allowed to consciously destroy it. And the coalition shall not and  will never  accommodate  or take for granted, any action that is targeted at undermining the institution, as it has become obvious now. Let UNICEF be warned about the dire repercussions of ignoring the remedial actions emphasized in this speech.”

  • Meningitis threat in Borno’s IDP camps

    SIR: With a total land mass of 70,898 square kilometres, Borno is second to Niger State out of the 36 states in terms of size. The violence unleashed by Boko Haram on the communities in the state, among other states in the northeast, has left millions homeless in the last seven years, thereby forcing government to establish resettlement camps to cater for the displaced.

    Most of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Maiduguri are overflowing with people but with poor health facilities. The IDPs are characterised by dirty environment, insufficient food supply, shortage of beds and other necessities of life. Many live in tents and huts that have no adequate ventilation as the hot season sets in hence the prevalence of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis, CSM.

    Meningitis is a deadly infection that affects the delicate membranes known as meninges which covers the brain and spinal cord. It is viral or bacterial infection and is contagious among people in close contact. Meningitis is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis is also caused by infection of viruses, bacteria, fungi, among others. Symptoms of the disease include fever, difficulties in feeding, vomiting and diarrhoea, irritability, difficulties in breathing to mention a few.

    A lasting solution to the health threat faced in the IDPS is for the government to act swiftly to end the insurgency and also bring back peace to areas ravaged by communal clashes so that the displaced people can return to their homes and begin to live a better life one again.

    NEMA and its counterpart agencies in the state where IDP camps exist should strive to improve the sanitary conditions at the refugee centres. Camp premises should be fumigated with herbicides to kill the overgrown grasses. Effort should equally be made to provide treated mosquito nets to the IDPs, equip camp clinics with proper drugs for the treatment of transferable diseases and ensure that IDPs have access to clean water.

    Because NEMA and SEMA were established to provide only immediate help to victims of crises, the interference by these agencies in the northeast which is supposed to be provisional has become a load on their resources because of the long-standing time it is taking the government to bring the causative factors of the crises to an end.

    Those living in the IDPs are advised to avoid crowded places and ensure cross ventilation in their camps to prevent the spread of diseases. They should also avoid sleeping in overcrowded conditions and if lots of people must sleep together in the same room, the windows and doors should always be opened to guarantee ventilation.

     

    • Wada Anas Ibrahim, University of Maiduguri.