4,000 IDPs Face Hunger, Abductions, Trauma In Kaduna Community

About 4,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) taking refuge in Mararaban Rido, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, are facing hunger, insecurity, psychological trauma and loss of livelihoods, with children among the worst affected.

Chairman of IDPs in Chikun Local Government Area, Comrade Adam Sule, disclosed this to community reporters, saying the displaced families were living without a formal camp or adequate assistance to meet their basic needs.

According to him, most of the displaced persons fled communities in Chikun and Kachia local government areas following persistent insecurity that forced them to abandon their homes, farms and other sources of livelihood.

Sule said the displaced families, many of whom depend on farming, were struggling to access food and other necessities, while the lack of livelihood opportunities had pushed some of them to return to nearby bushes in search of ways to survive despite the security risks.

He lamented that some displaced persons had been kidnapped or killed while trying to provide for their families, adding that several people recently abducted were still being held by kidnappers demanding ransom for their release.

“They are predominantly farmers, and they have nothing to eat or any other means of livelihood.

“That is why some of them still go into nearby bushes in search of a means of survival. Unfortunately, some of them are kidnapped or killed in the process.

“As I am speaking to you, many of our people who were recently kidnapped are still in the hands of kidnappers, who demand ransom for their release,” he said.

The IDP chairman explained that the absence of a formal camp had made it difficult to provide organised support for the displaced families, who continue to grapple with the consequences of the violence that forced them from their ancestral communities.

“This is a centre that we are managing because we do not have a formal camp, though we wish we had one because these people are suffering a lot and going through many challenges,” Sule said.

He added that insecurity continued to threaten communities around the settlement, with some residents forced to leave their homes at night and seek refuge in places they considered safer.

The repeated attacks, killings and abductions have also taken a psychological toll on displaced families, many of whom are struggling to recover from their experiences and rebuild their lives.

Children, Sule said, were particularly vulnerable as displacement and poverty disrupted their education and exposed them to uncertainty about their future.

He expressed concern that some school-age children had dropped out because their parents and guardians could no longer afford the cost of their education.

The chairman called on the Kaduna State Government and relevant humanitarian organisations to provide food assistance, strengthen security around affected communities and establish a more organised support system for the displaced families.

He also urged the government and development partners to provide scholarships and other educational assistance to children whose schooling had been interrupted by displacement.

In addition, Sule appealed for empowerment programmes targeting women and young people to help them rebuild their livelihoods and reduce their dependence on dangerous survival strategies.

He stressed that the affected families also needed sustained psychosocial support and trauma counselling to help them cope with the emotional and mental effects of repeated attacks, abductions, killings and the loss of their homes.

“We need trauma counselling and psychosocial support to help our people recover from these experiences.

“I appeal to the Kaduna State Government to come to our aid. We need security, food and empowerment.

“Our children need scholarships and support to return to school while our youths and women also need empowerment programmes to rebuild their livelihoods,” Sule pleaded.

He said urgent intervention was needed to address the immediate needs of the displaced persons and help them rebuild their lives.