No fewer than 1,087,875 persons are said to have been internally displaced as a result of surges of banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom in the northwest states of Nigeria.
Portraying women and children as the most affected by the crisis; 54 per cent of females and 56 per cent of children were displaced in Katsina State, and a total of 223,473 people were affected.
This was revealed at the official launch of the conflict mitigation and community reconciliation project in northwest Nigeria, and organised by the UN Migration (IOM) in Katsina State capital on Monday.
The Chief of Mission, IOM, Laurent De Boeck, explained that the northwest has been experiencing a series of conflicts since 2014, which led to research conducted in October 2022 to discover an increase of the conflicts, “affecting an estimated number of over one million people, out of which 29 per cent are from Katsina State.”
Reaffirming further that the IOM, Mercy Corp and Centre for Democracy Development with the support of the European Union are partnering with the Katsina state government to promote a community reconciliation process in the state, aiming at reducing conflict, promoting locally-driven peace initiative and mitigating conflict in the natural resources of north-west Nigeria.
The project which has about 18 months time frame, starting from January 2022 to July 2023 will be conducted in four local government areas of Dandume, Danmusa, Batsari and Jibia in Katsina State.
Also speaking on behalf of the state government, the commissioner of Internal Affairs and Security, Nasiru Muazu Danmusa, thanked the International partners for the project, saying the state needs more support in the fight against insecurity which has bedevilled some parts of the state.
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