4,000 Benue IDPs Seeking Shelter In Nasarawa

The Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) has said it has been responding to the humanitarian crisis occasioned by the recent attack on Yelwata community, a border town between Benue and Nasarawa states, which resulted in the death of about 200 persons.

The director general of the agency, Barrister Ben Akwash, who disclosed this in an interview, explained that the state’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp at the Kadarko primary school in Keana Local Government area is already overwhelmed because of the influx of displaced victims.

He said the state government has to create more camps to accommodate displaced persons because of the development.

He said on the day of the attack, over 700 people fleeing from Yelwata and neighbouring communities flooded the Kadarako camp, adding that the figure rose to over 2,000 the next day.

He said that the number of displaced persons in various camps has risen to 4,253. He explained that another camp was created in Obi Local Government Area, which currently shelters 1,020 IDPs. This is in addition to the Idadu and Kpata camps in Doma LGA and Agyraragu camp in Lafia LGA, respectively.

“The situation is an influx of internally displaced persons coming to Nasarawa state, and the number keeps increasing. The figure at my disposal for St John Agyraragu camp is now 1,852, Idadu and Kpata camps presently have 672 and 709. I got information again from the Obi camp that 1020 IDPs have arrived there. Most of the people who relocated to the Kadarko camp have moved to other safer places because they feel Kadarko is no longer safe for them,” he said.

He stated that apart from the camp, more displaced persons ran to Tiv communities in the state’s Doma and Keana local government areas for refuge.

“Kadarako and other neighbouring communities have a significant Tiv population, so it is natural for their kinsmen to run in the face of crisis,” he said.

According to him, the state government is intervening to make their stay in the state less stressful by providing relief materials for them.

He said the agency had assessed the situation in various camps to ascertain the number of displaced persons and to reach out to them with relief materials.

“We have put deliberate and robust measures in place and held a series of meetings with the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Humanitarian Services. We are now at the point of procurement, in the coming few days, we will be able to purchase food and non-food items to distribute to them to lessen the hardship they are going through.

“So, I’m urging them to remain calm as we make a frantic effort to bring succour to them without further delay,” he said.