NGO Distributes Grains To IDPs In Kaduna

Displaced victims of various attacks and kidnapping from 11 communities in Kajuru local government area of Kaduna State have received bags of maize from a non-governmental organisation – Resilient Aid and Dialogue Initiative (RADI).

Fifty bags of the grains were shared among 140 IDPs. The victims have been displaced from their communities after repeated attacks from suspected herdsmen who have also been kidnapping and terrorising them in their farms leading to hundreds of rural dwellers abandoning their communities in Kaduna State for safer places around local government headquarters and the metropolis.

Speaking on the gesture, Mr Reuben Buhari, while sharing the grains to the displaced victims in Kasuwan Magani, explained that the grains being distributed came through a scheme called fertiliser Birth Initiative.

“This is a scheme that adopts a local practice in most of the communities in Kaduna State. We supply fertilisers from a donor to IDPs who can farm but are unable to buy fertiliser. After harvest, the beneficiaries each return a bag or two of grains. We gather these bags of grains and then share them with other IDPs who were unable to farm. 

In this way, we ensure that those who can farm get fertilizer, while those who can’t get food. It means they also have seedlings for the next farming season.”

Explaining further, Alheri Magaji said: “For this project, funding was provided by the U.S Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs with Meridian International Center as the implementing partner.

“This is the first phase of the distribution, we are going to carry out another one next week in a different community where we had gathered grains,” she said.

The communities the IDPs come from include Kikwari, Mokorozankarya, Maikori, and Ungwan Aku which have been abandoned by the people since 2022. Other communities include Robo, Karamai Kasau, Kalla which have also not been spared from attacks since 2022. 

Kajuru local government area in Kaduna State is among several other LGAs that have borne the brunt of consistent attacks from suspected herdsmen who have also been kidnapping people.