Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the three local government areas of Munya, Shiroro and Rafi in Niger State are calling for urgent action by the government and non-governmental organisations to address severe issues of hunger, disease and malnutrition, threatening their existence in the various camps.
The IDPs made the appeal during a visit to the Gwada and Kuta camps in Shiroro Local Government Area.
They decried the nonchalant attitude towards their plight by the Niger State Government and appealed to corporate and philanthropic organisations for aid.
IDP Desk Officer and Coordinator, Shiroro Local Government Area, Yusuf Kuta, had earlier identified health and educational challenges, coupled with inadequate foodstuff, leading to hunger and malnutrition, as some of the problems militating against their smooth operation.
He said the two IDP camps in Shiroro are housing over 4,055 people, including 38 from Zamfara State, while many are staying outside the camp, all of whom he said were displaced by attacks from Boko Haram and other terrorists at their ancestral homes.
Another IDP, Ahmed Almustapha, expressed concern over the high number of out-of-school children, prevalence of diseases and inadequate sanitation facilities, with about 80 people sleeping in one classroom.
He acknowledged that the Chairman of Shiroro Local Government Area, Akilu Kuta, recently provided them with drugs that lasted for four weeks.
Meanwhile, the Niger State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Baba Suleiman, has said that there are currently over 40,000 IDPs spread across the state, and that Governor Umar Bago has been providing them with all the necessary support needed for a comfortable life.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
