Nasarawa govt uncovers 7 Boko Haram displaced persons’ camps

Nasarawa State Government says it has discovered seven settlements put up by persons displaced by the insurgents in the northeast.

It said the settlements were discovered in Karu local government area of the State.

The discovery, it said, came seven years after the affected persons had inhibited the areas and already cohabiting with the existing population.

Nigerian Tribune reports that the attacks by Boko Haram insurgents spanning more than a decade had thrown up serious humanitarian crises with hundreds of thousands displaced across states within the northeast of the country.

The affected states include Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe and Bauchi.

The insurgents annexed several local government areas especially in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa into territories where they hosted flags and collected taxes to run their operations.

They also expanded their attacks to states like Kano, Kaduna and even the country’s seat of power, Abuja.

Fleeing residents seek refuge in several states across the North where they created camps.

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Authorities in Nasarawa through the Executive Secretary of Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency NASEMA, Mr Zachary Allumaga, said it just discovered the existence of the Boko Haram displaced camps made of the IDPs from the northeast in the state at a press briefing on Saturday.

He said the late information was as a result of the inability of the local chairman to report the existence of the camps to the state government for action, adding that the State government would have been able to take stock and profiled the IDPs if it had gotten the information earlier.

He said the state government would visit the camp on Saturday (today) to assess the situation on ground and identify with the people.

He said, “The Executive Governor of Nasarawa statute Engr. Abdullah Sule will today Saturday by 2:00 pm be fraternising with the IDPs said to be from the Northeast who have been part of the State for the past seven years and the Agency is not aware of.

“We understand that some NGOs have built schools for the children, and they are given vast land for farming which they are yielding very well, we will assist them in other areas to better their lives.”

He said the state government has commenced the distribution of relief materials to various IDPs camps in the State, while urging stakeholders, especially elected and political appointees at all levels to be available at their various areas during the distribution exercises.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari, for the support given to flood victims and the vulnerable in the State.