From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
About four thousand Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in an abandoned camp in the Maraba Ride of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State have cried out for help, in order to alleviate their present state of sufferings.
This was contained in a report carried out by a group, Eko Smile Support and Empowerment Initiative, (ESSEI), who visited the camp on April 26, 2023.
According to the report, ESSEI said it was surprised by the harrowing sub-human conditions of the IDPs, hence it organized a Humanitarian Rural Communities Outreach for the IDPs on May 2, 2023.
The coordinator of the camp, Mr. Adam Sule, who made this disclosure, while taking our correspondent around the camp, which looked forsaken as most of the IDPs now found shelter in uncompleted buildings or spaces provided by villagers or nearby communities, corroborated ESSEI’s report.
He said the IDPs are in urgent of food and clothing, make-shift accommodations, job opportunities, skills acquisition/empowerment trainings, educational support for the children and interested adults, as well as medical support.
Sule, who couldn’t hold back his tears, pleaded on behalf of the IDPs to national and international organizations, well-meaning Nigerians and the Kaduna State Government to come to the rescue of the IDPs who have been abandoned to their fate.
The IDPs, who are mostly victims of attacks by bandits, unknown gunmen and other terrorist groups, are mainly from Chikun, Kajuru, and Kachia Local Government Areas of the state.
It was gathered that before their present predicament, they were residents of Anguwan Rimi Kaso, Wako, Suleja Kaso, Telele, Anguwan Sarari, Anguwan Gaida, Kaso Kurmi, Anguwan Zhibada, and neighbouring communities, however, over 60 percent, totaling 2,331 are children, whose parents were killed by marauding gunmen that invaded and occupied their villages.
Also, 922 of the IDPs are widows, who husbands have been hacked to death by the gunmen, while the remaining 634 are men who narrowly escaped after witnessing their brothers, friends and neighbours sent to their early graves.
According to available data provided by the camp, the last head count of the IDPs carried out in December 2022, and the numbers keep on growing as other victims and survivors of banditry attacks come to the camp to seek refuge on a weekly basis, as there are virtually no economic activities to keep the men and women going and are very prone to depression and despondency because of the situation.
