IDPs’ protest in Borno: State Government orders LG Chairmen to relocate to camps in liberated communities

BY ABDULLAHI ISAH, MAIDUGURI

As a result of the recent protests by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno State over poor feeding system, the state government has Saturday ordered local government areas chairmen to relocate and open offices at IDPs’ camps in Maiduguri, the state capital, along with their Divisional Police Officers (DPO) to ensure security and adequate food supply for over 1.5 million displaced persons.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Alhaji
Usman Zannah handed down the ordered on Friday at the Musa Usman secretariat complex, Maiduguri when he summoned Caretaker Chairmen of Marte, Mafa, Dikwa, Bama, Mobbar, Abadam, Monguno, Gwoza among other council areas where he addressed them on the need to relocate the displaced persons in Maiduguri camps to liberated communities, while those inaccessible council areas like Abadam, Mobbar, Gwoza and Marte should ensure that they have their offices at camps in Maiduguri to immediately address issues of hunger and food shortages.

The meeting was as a result of Thursday`s protest by hundreds IDPs from Marte Local Government Area who took to the streets of Maiduguri alleging shortage of supply of food and water which did not auger well for the state government.

He said that Thursday’s protests of IDPs over poor feeding, was caused by inadequate supply of food items from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). According to him, in the last three months, NEMA has failed to live up to its expectation of providing food items to IDPs in Borno, despite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which stipulated that the state Government provides condiments, while NEMA provides food items to IDPs.

“Those council chairmen that are maintaining IDPs’ camps here in Maiduguri, while your areas are inaccessible, are to immediately relocate to your respective camps in the metropolis and listen to displaced persons’ problems,” the commissioner stated.

He said “Where there are problems you run down to us, so that government can render all assistance, including the supply and distribution of food items on family or household basis.”

Zannah however noted that during the last one month the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs has spent over N20 million on the procurement of firewood for cooking to IDPs.

He said that there were a lot of allegations and counter allegations that the cooks in camps do not cook food, despite the supply of firewood.

Consequently, to address some of these problems in camps, the state government and other donor agencies like International Community for Red Cross (ICRC) decided to start feeding IDPs on the family or household basis, instead of central cooking in camps that had caused a lot of problems instigated by enemies of government.

“This system was adopted and has worked well. We also learnt that some of the displaced persons hide food items and sell them,” noted Zannah on the diversion of food items.

He therefore urged the summoned council chairmen to judiciously use government resources at their disposal in order to tackle needs of IDPs.

“Security is to be beefed up and maintained so that these ugly things in camps do not happen again,” tasked Zannah.

He however ordered that Konduga and Mafa councils’ IDPs taking refuge in Maiduguri are to relocate to their communities with immediate effect, while in due course, 70, 000 Dikwa IDPs, are to relocate from the camp to their respective houses or residences in Dikwa border town, including the ones from Bama camp to move to Banki border town with Cameroon.