The Nation Newspaper

Tag: IDPs

  • Safety of mother, child in emergency

    Safety of mother, child in emergency

    “I remember hearing gunshots and feeling afraid. I ran to save my life and that of my six children, but I was not fast enough… I lost my baby… but I had to remain strong for the others…”, recounts Zainab (not real name) rescued from the Sambisa forest.

    “We are looking for your men. Do not run,” she remembers the gunmen saying when her village was stormed, leading to abduction of women and children. Another survivor, a pregnant Fatima (not real name) watched Boko Haram militants murder her husband and drag her three children away. Afterward, she was taken to the Sambisa Forest and ended up giving birth in the forest. She and her newborn were later rescued.

    The above tales of horror orchestrated by Boko Haram insurgents at the peak of their acts of terrorism in North-East Nigeria has been strongly condemned by the internal community including the United Nations (UN).

    The plain truth, yet a sad commentary, is that at the receiving end of the humanitarian crises arising from insurgency are women and children. The number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the refugees kept growing.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the UN system in Nigeria put the total number of IDPs at 1,235,294 while 2,120 refugees and asylum seekers were registered as of 17 January 2015.

    According to Assessment Capacities Project, Start Network (ACAPS), the majority of IDPs are in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, in the far northeast, but 47,276 IDPs are in Plateau, Nasarawa, Abuja, Kano, and Kaduna states.

    However, the magnitude and severity of needs remain more pressing in the northeast, where humanitarian emergency thresholds have been exceeded and access was for a long time extremely challenging.

    Thus, it is no longer news that hundreds of women and children were abducted and held in locations hitherto held by the insurgents, including the dreaded Sambisa forest. It is also not news that hundreds of women and children have been rescued and are still being rescued by the military.

    That a number of the women and girls rescued were very traumatised and found to be pregnant is also in the public sphere. However, that every pregnancy, regardless of circumstances leading to it, must be safe and delivered is the issue for the front burner of public discourse.

    No doubt, the women and girls have gone through hell in the hands of their abductors. Their rights have been infringed upon; they have been brutalised and abused; and many have lost their lives in the process. The lucky ones that are still alive are back and still far away from returning to their normal self. They, obviously, need all kinds of support: foods, non-foods, dignity kits, health support, education, livelihood, among others.

    Furthermore, every time there is a humanitarian emergency, the actors in the humanitarian field are quick to rush and repeatedly provide food and non-food items to the displaced population.

    Of course, that reinforces the African proverb that says, ‘If you resolve the challenges of feeding in the life of a poor man, then he is no longer poor.’ But over time, the reality of other equally critical needs set in. The pregnant women, the lactating mothers, women of reproductive age and the children have to be catered for specially.

    The United Nations through its specialised Agencies, Programmes and Funds and the government, with the benefit of hindsight, always anticipates this and in all cases, factors such into its response plans.

    The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) being the lead Agency of the UN in the area of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) is committed to delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every child birth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. Its mandate was determined by United Nations Members, including Nigeria.

    Indeed, Nigeria is one of the countries whose 1965 appeal to the UN ultimately inspired the creation of UNFPA a few years later.

    UNFPA in Nigeria is committed to save lives, restore dignity and rebuild broken lives of vulnerable women and girls.

    Within the context of the insurgency in the North-East and its humanitarian challenges especially as they affect women and children, UNFPA is addressing gender-based violence in humanitarian settings through a wide range of services, including counselling, post-rape treatment, legal support, assistance with livelihoods, and support through its Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) programs.

    Working with and through the government of Nigeria including in the states, UNFPA interventions in 2014 alone supported more than 16,000 safe deliveries in North East Nigeria; reached about 2.6 million women and girls with SRH services including for Gender Based Violence (GBV) management in North East Nigeria; and supported provision of modern family planning services to an estimated 2 million women and Couple Year Protection of 2.2million countrywide.

    It is gladdening to note that through its interventions and support, about two thousand maternal deaths were averted country wide while another one thousand free fistula treatment surgeries were supported with 97% success rate across the country.

    Explaining the SRH support to the rescued girls and women, the Director and Country Representative of UNFPA Nigeria, Ms Rati Ndhlovu, observed that “Upon the arrival of rescued women and children in Malkohi camp in Yola, UNFPA responded immediately by providing reproductive health care and psychosocial counselling to survivors of violence.

    “Women and girls who survive unimaginable trauma of captivity and brutalizing violence need immediate and compassionate care and UNFPA has been, as always, determined to ensure that they are given everything they need to be able to heal with dignity, safety and a restored sense of self-worth. After a few weeks of counselling, there was marked improvement in the survivors.”

    Restoring the livelihood and normal lifestyle of the rescued women and children and those that are displaced by the insurgency and military operations is the issue on the front burner of the UN system in the country.

    Of particular importance is ensuring that women can deliver babies safely and that they and girls can maintain their health, dignity, rights and self-worth even in the most challenging situations.

    “Our efforts”, Ms Ndlovu added, “are focused on supporting women and girls to restore their lives as quickly as possible and begin the process of healing to be able to fulfill their potential and once again resume productive lives.”

  • Skills for IDPs

    Skills for IDPs

    A lone woman is helping to put the cheer on the faces of internally displaced persons (IDPs), not by giving them money but teaching them skills, writes GRACE OBIKE

    It sure feels like blows coming from all sides. So many of them worked so hard to provide for themselves and their families. Some managed to raise properties. Then, suddenly, everything came crumbling down and they had nothing to call their own.

    They now beg for food.

    That has been the fate of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Northeast, who have lost all they worked so hard to acquire. They are now homeless.

    Apart from witnessing the death and disappearance of their loved ones and neighbours, they also saw the assault by Boko Haram insurgents. One wonders if they will be able to recover from all this. While some are lucky enough to stay with relatives in other parts of the country, others are forced to settle in camps in inhuman conditions.

    But with the rescue of about 1000 persons who were kidnapped by the Boko Haram insurgents by Nigerian military, most of these people are eager to return home and start life afresh.

    •Amina Muhammed with her two-week-old baby
    •Amina Muhammed with her two-week-old baby

    A mother of three, Amina Muhammed, in an interview with Abuja Review said: “When peace returns to Gwoza, I will like to return. I don’t like it here because as a person, you feel free in your own house rather than having to squat in such conditions. Some of us were landlords back home. Most of our men had good jobs and businesses but now it is all gone. We are suffering here; staying in Abuja is not fun at all.”

    Although some individuals have taken it upon themselves to provide food and clothes for the IDPs in different parts of the country, another individual has taken it upon herself to empower the women. They call her Mama IDP at the Area 1 Camp and a lot of them have nice things to say about the woman who prefers to remain anonymous. She said at first, she, like other well-meaning Nigerians, had began with providing them with food and clothing items weekly but she went further to provide them with skill acquisition programme where the women are taught bleach making, liquid soap making, making of dusting powder and vaseline.

    “They have lost everything and need support in starting life afresh when they return home. The idea is for them to make a little money and learn few necessary skills before they return back to their states, where, hopefully, they can use it to start life afresh.

    “Five months ago when we visited here, we began bringing food on weekly basis and realised that there was no learning centre and the children were not going to school; they were always running around dirty and their parents could hardly control them.

    “So, with the help of friends, we were able to open a learning centre in the uncompleted building where 13 families lived for the past nine months but the woman that owns the building needs to continue with her building so she has asked them to vacate.

    “Five weeks ago, we began a training programme that will empower these women so that when they go back home, they will be able to have some kind of skills to help them generate income so that they can help their families because they have lost everything back home.

    “We need volunteer teachers for the learning centres. We have children that are of secondary school age but because we don’t have the facilities for them, they cannot come to the school. We have almost 20 children that should be in the JSS category. We still need funds to buy sewing machines and teach them how to make pastries like akara and other things so that they can raise funds for themselves.

    “This camp needs things as little as sanitary pads for their monthly periods and pants. Most of the children do not have pants to wear. We need pairs of slippers, clothes and we need things that people may not want as they are valuable here. We also need old toys.

    “We need counselling for these people. We need prayers and support. They have lost everything; they saw their children being slaughtered in front of them. For me, my emphasis is on women because they run the home, my emphasis is to develop the skills of the women because most of them have no skills and they just wait on their men to bring money for food.

    “My emphasis is also on the men; they need a source of livelihood, they need their pride and dignity restored. If they can go out and source for a job and bring food on the table that will be a thing of pride for them. Most of them do not have it now so they can resort to any kind of menace.

    “These women are very hard working. In two days, they have mastered how to produce the soap, dusting powder and Vaseline among others. They are not only hard working, they are intelligent. We have been training them for the past five weeks, we intend to harvest the best hands here and take them to another IDP camp to train those ones as well, so that when they return home, they have some skills to do. It’s not about anybody taking the glory but about man helping man.”

    Amina Muhammed added: “I have stayed in this camp for seven months. From Gwoza, we trekked to Madaghalli and I was pregnant at the time. From Madaghalli, someone gave us a lift to Maiduguri and we got another free transportation to Abuja.

    “While in Abuja, a woman, Aunty Habiba came here and took us the pregnant women to the police hospital for antenatal and when it was time for me to be delivered of my baby, she took me to the hospital and I had my baby through caesarean. She took care of the bills. When peace returns to Gwoza, I will like to return. I don’t like it here because as a person, you feel free in your own house than having to squat in such conditions. Some of us were landlords back home; most of our men had good jobs and businesses but now all are gone. We are suffering here; staying in Abuja is not fun at all.

    •Their unsanitary living space
    •Their unsanitary living space

    “The owner of the building has asked us to vacate because she has actually helped us with her place but she needs to complete her building. Some people are unable to provide the money to pay for their shacks but I gave them money for mine to be built and for the others that cannot afford to pay for theirs, mama IDP is assisting them with it.”

    Woman leader of the camp told Abuja Review that although they appreciate residents of Abuja that provided them with food item often, they have better appreciation of the programme because they can earn a living on their own someday without having to live off other people or continue to beg.

    She said: “Yes, all our women took part in the skills acquisition programme provided by Mama IDP. When we go home, we will have things to do that will help us a lot compared to how people simply provide us with food. But this is something that even if we return home, we will have something to do instead of staying idle. We will be able to purchase the chemicals ourselves and make the products for sale.

    “Honestly, staying in Abuja is only for people who are accustomed to it because if not for people that have been assisting us in this city, how would we have survived? To eat is a problem. We have to buy. Who will want to live his home where things are much simpler? Staying in the village is so much easier than this Abuja life.

    “We are not safe even from security officials who harass us all the time. They came in the middle of the night the other day and packed all our men away for no reason although all of them have been released now. When we asked questions, they said it is a simple routine patrol but what kind of patrol will make them take people away in the presence of his children for no reason. Why then will we want to stay in a place like this with all the troubles?

    “Unfortunately we enjoyed learning this work and hope to continue on our own, we do not have the startup capital to purchase all the chemicals required. So, we are pleading with well-meaning Nigerians not to be tired of us. They should continue to help us as they have been doing. They should provide us with the startup capital and direct us to where to buy all the chemicals needed to produce all these things.

    •Kegs of liquid soap made by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at an Abuja camp
    •Kegs of liquid soap made by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at an Abuja camp

    “Although when we make all the items, we will not sell them as expensive as they are selling them here; we will make and sell them cheap so that it will be affordable to the poor and we can exhaust our products and make new ones.”the products IDP’s learnt during the programme

     

  • 14,000 IDPs to benefit from medical outreach

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Development Board (PHCDB) has said that about 14,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in seven camps in the territory would benefit from the free medical outreach being organised by the board.

    The Executive Secretary of PHCDB, Dr Rilwanu Muhammad, made this known in during the inauguration of the April 2015 National Immunisation-plus Days organised to mark the Africa Vaccination Week (AVW) and the World Malaria Day.

    Mohammed said the Africa Vaccination Week, whose theme was “Vaccination, a Gift of Life”, had been scheduled for between April 24 and 30, saying the main goal of the event was to help in strengthening immunisation systems through advocacy, education and outreach services.

    He said the event will commemorate the week and seven of the camps located in three area councils which are Abaji, Kuje, and Bwari had been selected to have health camps for the duration of the Africa Vaccination Week.

    “Arrangement to ensure the availability of the relevant services and supplies to meet the demand created for the interventions have been made. This is to ensure that the health care needs of this group are met,” he said.

    He, therefore, urged the displaced persons, especially women and children, to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the event to access medical care.

    Speaking during the inauguration, the Executive Secretary of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Dr Ado Mohammed, explained

    that Nigeria had not recorded any new case of the polio virus in the past nine months.

    Mohammed, who was represented by the Advocacy and Communication Officer of the agency, Dr Adamu Nuhu, also said that it was necessary to reach out to the IDPs through advocacy, adding that the exercise will increase access to the under-served population that are hard to reach and the mobile population in the country.

    Also speaking on the World Malaria Day, Mohammed said malaria had devastated the people’s health and livelihood, but that the agency has made huge gains in the fight against the disease.

    He said new drugs had been made available for the treatment of the disease, promising that the vaccine against malaria will soon be made available.

  • Nigerian students in UK raise money for IDPs

    Disturbed by the condition of living in camps of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the country, Nigerian students studying at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom have held a concert to raise money for the victims of Boko Haram insurgency.

    The concert, tagged Verses for peace, was held at the auditorium of St. Mark’s Church in Leeds. Dignitaries at event included the Nigeria High Commissioner to the UK, Alhaji Dalhatu Tafida, represented by Mr Simon Olgah. Others are Pastor Raph Ibiyeye, Mrs Majestic Marvina, Mr Sammy Omotese, Mr Martin Chukwemeka, Mr Osahon Ogieva and other members of the Nigerian community in the UK.

    The President, Nigerian Students’ Society (NSS), Kelechi Anyikude, a doctoral student of the university, said there was need to alleviate the suffering of the displaced people, noting that the the war on insurgency had deprived them of their livelihood.

    Anyikude urged the participants to observe a minute silence in honour of the Nigerian soldiers and the civilians who died in the fight against Boko Haram. He said supporting the military to win the war would be the best honour to the memories of the dead.

    Olgah, who spoke on Tafida’s behalf, hailed the students’ initiative, saying the envoy would support all lawful initiatives to assist government in its efforts to cater for the needs of the IDPs.

    Olgah promised to relate back the students’ message to the ambassador.

    Ibiyeye, a pastor of the Redeemed Church in Leeds, enjoined the students not to be used by politicians to arrange false protest for political gain. He also prayed for peace during general elections, appealing to politicians to play politics with the fear of God.

    For Mrs Marvina, the idea of the concert deserved commendation. Miss Bisola Babalola, the NSS Vice President, said the concert was the student’s way to contribute their quota to development of Nigeria.

    The VP, a final year Law student, emphasised that there is need for strong cooperation. She said there were no negotiations to Nigeria’s unity, urging everyone to unite to collectively build the Nigeria of citizens’ dreams.

    Anyikude praised President Goodluck Jonathan on his determination to end insurgency in North, adding: “The money raised would be sent back to Nigeria to help the internally displaced people.”

    Femi Omoniyi coordinated the concert, while Bamidele Odusote’s dance step attracted people to the event.

     

  • Election: IDPs weep as they reunite with relatives

    Some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) yesterday shed tears of joy after reuniting with friends and relations during accreditation at IDP special polling centre during yesterday’s polls.

    The IDPs wept as they reunited with their relations whom they thought were dead when Boko Haram sacked their towns in 2014.

    Most of the IDPs were said to be from Michika and Madagali Local Government Areas in Adamawa.

    One of them, Madam Hajara Samuel, seen at the IDPs Special Polling Centre, Aliyu Mustafa College, Yola, said that he was separated from his family five months ago by Boko Haram insurgents.

    She, however, expressed joy that the exercise had afforded them the opportunity to reunite.

    Samuel, who was in tears, said that before the insurgency, he and his neighbours used to cast their votes in the same unit in Michika LGA.

    Alhaji Haruna Manzo, who hails from Bazza in Michika, said that since he and other IDPs fled Michika in 2014, he was seeing his immediate neighbour, Ezekiel Haruna, for the first time.

    Manzo described Haruna as a close friend, adding they fled for safety when Boko Haram elements took over their village.

    He, however, expressed joy that he met Haruna again at the polling unit as IDPs in Yola.

    There was impressive turnout of voters at the IDPs special polling centre.

    Speaking shortly after being accredited at the Aliyu Mustafa Secondary School IDPs polling centres, Alhaji Abubakar Kari, an IDP also from Michika said he was impressed with the electorate’s turnout.

    Kari, who was the state Chairman, Adamawa Positive Change and Initiative, an NGO,   said that almost all eligible voters from his polling unit came out for the exercise.

    “There is massive turnout of voters. It is very interesting because the electorate are willing to cast their votes for the candidates of their choice”, Kari said.

    He commended INEC for creating the special polling units for the IDPs and expressed optimism that the exercise would achieve its aims and objectives.

  • Large turnout at IDPS camps in Borno, Yobe

    Large turnout at IDPS camps in Borno, Yobe

    Thousands of internally displaced people in Yobe and Borno States filled out early Saturday morning to be accredited by the Independent National Electoral Commission officials for the elections.

    In Borno, about 70, 000 IDPs are expected to vote in the state capital in camps situated in the metropolis.

    Voting will take place in at least 16 local government areas, according to the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Samuel Madaki.

    Our correspondent, who was at some of the voting centres at the IDPs camps in Maiduguri metropolis, saw a large turn of voters on queues waiting to be accredited by INEC officials.

    Our correspondent visited the Government College Maiduguri camp, NYSC camps for Bama IDPs and Yerwa where the people had problems with the card reader.

    The state’s Governor,  Kashim Shettima, was accredited at his Shettimari 1 polling unit, Lawan Bukar ward, Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.

    In Polo Area of Maiduguri, only 10 people out of 100 eligible voters were recognized by the card reader at the Mohammed Maina polling unit 069.

    In Yobe, there were also impressive turnouts at the designated voting centres across the state.

    Governor Ibrahim Gaidam who travelled to his Bukarti home town was accredited at the Bukar Primary School.

    The state’s former governor, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, was accredited at the IDPs voting camp in Damaturu.

     

     

  • LBS Alumni donate to IDPs

    The Advanced Management Programme (AMP) 26 Class of The Lagos Business School (LBS) has extended its philanthropy to Internally-Displaced Persons (IDP) in Abuja and its environs.

    Mrs. Monilola Udoh led the three-man delegation from the class that presented the items to some IDP camps.  The others were: Mr. Igoji Owoicho and Mr. Ayo Adeonipekun.

    In a statement, the General Secretary of the group, Mr David Ogunniyi, noted that the relief materials handed over to officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) included: 50 units of mattresses; 50 cartons of Honeywell noodles; 12 bags of 50kg rice; toiletries and disinfectant; and condiments (two cartons of seasoning cubes, vegetable oil, and 500 sachets of salt).

    The donation is coming after the class received an award from the Lagos State government for keying into the state’s ‘Support our School’ initiative.

    The AMP 26, which donated 150 classrooms and 10 teachers’ furniture worth about N3 million to Lekki Community High School, Lekki, in Lagos, was recognised during a breakfast meeting with Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola at the City Hall, Lagos Island.

    The President of AMP 26, Mr. Abidemi Sonoiki, said the group was encouraged to continue to support initiatives that restore and lift the standard of education, as well as support the less privileged in the society.

  • ‘AUN feeding 270,000 IDPs weekly’

    ‘AUN feeding 270,000 IDPs weekly’

    •Varsity wants govt to ‘rise up’

    The President of American University of Nigeria (AUN) Yola, Dr. Margee Ensign, has claimed that the institution is feeding about 270,000 Internally-Displaced People (IDPs) weekly, compared to the 15,000 catered for by the government in the IDP camp in Yola.

    She expressed concern that the government was not doing enough to cater for the hundreds of thousands that have fled their homes because of the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Dr. Ensign, who spoke at an interactive session with reporters in Lagos, said the university started feeding IDPs about a year ago when they found that many employees were housing many relatives from crisis-ridden communities in the Northeast and were struggling to feed them.

    She urged the government to rise up to its responsibility before things get out of hand.

    She urged the government to “rise up to its responsibility before things get out of hand”.

    The AUN President said her driver, for instance, was housing 50 people.

    The university, through the Adamawa Peace Initiative (a group of Christian and Muslim leaders in Adamawa State) started feeding the IDPS about eight months ago.

    In January, Dr. Ensign said the group fed up to 232,000 five times a week, which has risen to over 270,000 this month.

    She said funding for the feeding came from the United States government ($100,000), founder of AUN, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (about $200,000), American Peace Corps and others.

    She was worried that with the communities the IDPs left behind destroyed, they might be around the university longer than expected, adding that the university might be unable to sustain the feeding effort.

  • Biometric capturing of Abuja IDPs begins soon

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), under the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will soon begin the biometric capturing of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the FCT.

    The exercise is to ensure that only genuine IDPs, who have been displaced by the insurgency in the Northeast, benefit from the relief materials provided by the administration.

    FEMA’s spokesperson Josie Mudasiru said the Director, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, made the statement at a media chat in Abuja.

    She said: “The FCT Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, in conjunction with its stakeholders, will begin the biometric capturing of the Internally Displaced Persons in the Federal Capital Territory.

    “The Director, FEMA, Alhaji  Idriss, said this in his office during a media chat. He said despite the huge expenditure towards providing relief for IDPS, there are still complaints from some quarters that the relief materials are not getting to them, hence the need for biometrics.

    “The biometrics data capturing exercise is meant to ensure that only genuine IDPs displaced by the insurgency in the Northeast benefit from the relief.

    “Caution is taken to ensure that the real IDPs get what they are entitled to.”

    Speaking on FEMA’s plan for this year, Idriss said the agency would focus on implementing the hazard mapping of the Federal Capital Territory, an effective early warning mechanism and emergency rescues.

    “The FEMA boss advised  FCT residents not to be disturbed at the presence of IDPs, as security agents are working to ensure that bad elements do not infiltrate the IDPs.

    “He assured residents of safety, as the agency shares information with the security agencies, who he said were part of the profiling exercises carried out on the IDPs by FEMA and NEMA.

    “Alhaji Idriss also advised residents to cooperate with emergency workers, by giving way to ambulances and other rescue vehicles.”

    on a rescue mission. He said this will help the agencies in saving lives and properties.”

  • Ex-Chibok panel member warns against relocating IDPs from camps

    Member of the Presidential Fact-finding Committee on Chibok School Girls, Mr. Mike Ejiofor yesterday  advised against the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to communities freed  by the military.from Boko Haram control.

     He said  the communities might not be safe because of the likelihood the insurgents might planted Improvises Explosive Devices (IEDs) in different corners. According to him, bomb experts must be allowed to properly sweep the area and certify the reclaimed territories safe for re-occupation by displaced persons.

     Ejiofor, who was a former director in the Department of State Security Service (DSS), gave the warning on a live programme on “Kakaaki” in Abuja.

     He said the best alternative at the moment was for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to go with its plans to ensure voting by all displaced persons through special arrangements

     He said: “Let me first salute the gallantry of our troops, they have done well and I am happy with the way Nigerians are coming out in solidarity with the military like we saw happening in Cameroon when citizens came out to protest Boko Haram attacks in support of their armed forces.

     “ You see, we shouldn’t play politics when it comes to security; we all have to rally round our security agencies. I think also, we need to commend the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, he is doing well in separating governance from politics and that is commendable.

     “He is the only the All Progressives Congress (APC) leader that came out to give so much credit to the Nigerian military. He said credits should go to the Nigerian military for 90 per cent of the successes recorded so far while the multi-national forces take rest of the credits, it is good, the military needs every support especially from leaders across political divides.

     “On the issue of IDPs returning to their communities, I think it is too early to start talking about internally displaced persons’ return to  these communities. You cannot rule out the possibility of explosives planted by Boko Haram in places they occupied, the military has to take time to clear these communities to ensure they are safe.

     “We also know that water is fundamental to human existence but most of the wells which these communities rely on, Boko Haram killed people and stuffed them inside. There has to be efforts to even clean the communities and sanitise them to avoid health issues and then create access to water.”

     Ejiofor also expressed the importance of allowing  the Victims Support Programme (VSP) to rehabilitate those displaced by Boko Haram.

      Ejiofor added: “The victims support programme initiated by the Federal Government raised some money they have to come in to provide relief.

     “The sate governments have to live to their responsibilities with the support of the Federal Government to reconstruct houses destroyed, hospitals, markets and schools so, that the communities can be habitable before displaced persons return and when this is done, traditional rulers have to come in to mobilize people to return.

     “For now if it is about elections, we understand that INEC has assured us of preparations for the IDPs to vote in camps. That  should go on while communities are fixed.”.