No fewer than 75 households, comprising about 500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Borno State, remain without permanent shelter in Bauchi local government area, after fleeing their homes due to Boko Haram insurgency.
The IDPs, who in 2015 fled from Mafa, Marte, and Jere local government areas of Borno State, have since been taking refuge in Runde Bin Shuwa of Tirwun village in Bauchi LGA.
During a relief materials distribution exercise held yesterday, their leader, Malam Dahiru Jidda, expressed gratitude for the assistance but lamented their prolonged hardship. He noted that the IDPs have been living under difficult conditions, renting farmlands annually to construct temporary shelters.
Jidda explained that the community has repeatedly written to relevant authorities, appealing for permanent resettlement. “As Nigerian citizens, we have the right to reside anywhere in the country, as guaranteed by the Constitution,” he said.
He also voiced concern over the diminishing support from the North East Development Commission (NEDC), particularly regarding the volume and consistency of relief materials provided.
Also speaking, the national chairman of the Kindai IDPs Association of Nigeria, Kaka Madu Abba, said the IDPs in Runde Bin Shuwa live in extremely precarious conditions, relying on the goodwill of a farming host community.
According to him, though the association has previously empowered the group with limited skills acquisition tools, the support is far from sufficient for their collective welfare. Abba further appealed to the NEDC not to relent in its mission to support displaced persons.
He noted with concern the steady decline in relief aid, revealing that the commission’s distribution has dropped over the years from 1,000 units of 11 items, to 300 units of eight items, and now only 80 units of just five essentials: rice, macaroni, mats, cooking oil, and children’s clothing.
He called for renewed and sustained support to ease the suffering of the IDPs as they continue to await permanent resettlement.
