Internally Displaced Persons
By Abdallah el-Kurebe
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has disclosed that a total of 1,934,765 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were currently living in formal and satellite camps as well as host communities as a result of insurgency in Northeastern states of Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi and Adamawa states.
The Yola Camp Coordinator, Sa’ad Bello disclosed this when, on behalf of the Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, took the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Samanthan Power round the facilities at Malkohi IDP Camp in Yola, Adamawa State at the weekend.
According to a statement signed and issued by the Agency’s Senior Information Officer, Sani Datti, “There are 32 formal camps in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States with a total of 189,783 IDPs. Borno has 19 camps with 150,858 IDPs; Yobe has 9 camps with 31,988 IDPs and Adamawa, 4 camps with 6,937 IDPs.”
It added that while there were 14 satellite camps in liberated communities, mainly in Borno State with 216,184 IDPs, the camps with the highest population were Ngala with 70,505; Dikwa 53,636; Bama 27,000 and Damboa/Sabon Gari 25,311.
Sa’ad further said that host communities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states has a total of 1,391,613 IDPs; Borno state has the highest with 1,158, 362; Adamawa 125,689 and Yobe 107,562.
“The Federal Government through the coordinating agency, NEMA and relevant line Ministries, Departments and Agencies, have been trying to meet the needs of the IDPs in the provision of food and nutrition, non-food items (NFIs), temporary shelter, medicament, psycho-social therapy, security and protection,” he said.
He told Power that while the government continued with the efforts of meeting up the needs of the IDPs, more supports were required to be able to return them back to their communities. “Further support is needed in three critical areas, including food, non-food items (basic household needs), shelter, WASH, education, nutrition, protection, health and sexual reproductive health and psycho-social helps.”
The U.S. Ambassador to UN, Samanthan Power, who led a high level delegation from US to the Malkohi IDPs camp and host communities told them that they were there to determine what more could be done to defeat Boko Haram so that the IDPs could return back to their communities.
“I know how difficult these last years have been for you and on behalf of President Barack Obama, I express my sympathy and my condolences for all you have lost and our resolve to try to make things better together,” she said.
