From Uche Uche, Damaturu
About 3,000 internally-displaced persons (IDPs) who fled Boko Haram attack from Gaidam and Kanama towns of Yobe state are now taking refuge in Dikwa region of Niger Republic.
The governor of Dikwa, Yakubu Usman disclosed this yesterday when the Yobe state governor, Alh. (Dr.) Ibrahim Gaidam visited to see and console the displaced persons.
The Dikwa governor told Gaidam that, out of the total number of displaced persons in his domain, 1,000 were currently living with their friends and relatives while 1,385 were being directly accommodated and fed by the Dikwa government.
He also disclosed that other humanitarian organisations such as the Red Cross have indicated their willingness and would soon be on hand to join in the humanitarian activities to care for the victims.
He added that according the country’s refugee law, the refugees are allowed, not forced against their wish to stay in the country as long as they wish and even do business in the area as long as they obey the laws of the land until such a time any of them decides, willingly to go back to his hometown.
He said camps are being constructed to accommodate the refugees assuring adequate care and protection by the government for the displaced victims living in the country’s domain.
Responding, the Yobe state governor, Alh. Ibrahim Gaidam told the victims that his administration would do everything possible to bring them back to their individual homes and give them necessary care and protection.
He told them that already, arrangements have been put in place to send food and medical supply to the Gaidam and Kanama towns, to care for those still living in the area while the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has been directed to work with a committee set up by the state government to visit and ascertain the extent of damages.
Gaidam assured that arrangements were being made by the security authorities concerned to send more security personnel into the affected areas to give protection to the people and called on all those that fled the area to go back to their houses.
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