FG and Urgent Need for rescue of Traumatised Refugees in IDPs

For a nation with conscience, the troubling graphic depiction of pathetic life at the Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) is sufficient to stir emotions in right quarters.

Lately, some Doctors without Borders with some news hounds visited an IDPs’ camp at Bama in Borno and left to tell the world the story of crass dehumanization and degradation of the living condition of refugees. The pictures of humans, mostly children and women so deprived, traumatised and debased to points of death welled up tears.

Incidentally, such pictures trended unrestrained in social media, ending up with the narrative of how detached or rather heartless a nation could be towards the poor and the vulnerable. Such had offered a reason for the New York Times to publish a damning report on the careless manner the authorities in Nigeria have been handling refugees in their different camps.

It is worst when the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) declared just last week that over 3,000 children are separated from their parents at the Bama IDP Camp, while 140 of them are currently on danger list and are being attended to on daily basis by health workers. Succinctly, the gory pictures of hunger stricken underage, sickly and helpless men and women at the IDP camps are a hint of what to expect in the event an outbreak of similar tragedy in any other part of Nigeria.

From almost all parts of Nigeria, the drumbeats of war are getting louder as separatist groups gear for fight with strident campaign for dismemberment of Nigeria. It is time Nigerians returned to God with fervent prayers to avoid the Armageddon that is grimly staring their nation in the face now.

On daily basis, there are reports of “a catastrophic humanitarian emergency” at the Bama camp which record says accommodate not less than 24,000 refugees, most of them women and children. Some health workers who offer help had also reported that close to 30 children die weekly in the camp. Most tragically, well over 1, 233 graves, according to report, had been dug near the camp so far. It seems that the Bama IDP Camp exists to expose the corruptive instincts of those saddled with the task of attending to the crowd of refugees, depicting them also as people created with the hearts of stone.

Since the Boko Haram war in the Northeast escalated, statistics have revealed that refugee centers had been built to cater for the victims and are spread over 13 States of the North and Abuja. The camps, according to reports, swell on daily basis with the number of refugees hitting over two million.

The spread is as follows: Abuja (13,481 IDPs), Adamawa (136,010), Bauchi (70,078), Benue (85,393), Borno (1,534,149), Gombe (25,332), Kaduna (36,976) Kano (9,331), Nasarawa (37,553), Plateau (77,317), Taraba (50,227) Yobe (131,203), Zamfara (44,929).

In each of the camps, the issue of food, sanitation, shelter, health facilities and others have continued to raise mind-boggling posers. The refugees appeared to have been trapped eternally with near impossibility trailing the plans to get them relocated to their places of origin from where they were displaced. Worst still, the refugees could not get the sympathy of the host communities since nobody wanted anything to do with them.

From reports, the criminal neglect of refugees in the IDP camps is at the instance of the authorities that seem not imbued with human feelings. Those detailed to offer the refugees’ succour, as reported, took the heart of the devil by diverting for personal use, the truckloads of food meant for the refugees. Monies had been earmarked in billions for assuaging the plight of the refugees, by both the federal and Borno State governments. Public-spirited religious groups and individuals of Aliko Dangote’s class had also risen to offer monetary and material assistance at different times. Some international donour agencies too had made contributions. Yet, the sad story remained that certain officials allegedly engaged in mindless stealing of part of what should be used to bring life to the refugees, for self-benefits.

The government of Borno state has not earned a pass mark on IDP issue. This is because the refugees have often complained of alienation due to abysmally low patronage from the state government. The governor of the state, Kashim Shettima is even said to be livid with rage on the reportage of the case of humanitarian disaster and pestilence that the refugees are subjected to at the Bama camp.

There are complaints that both the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Emergency Management (SEMA) too, have been aloof of the IDP camps, though they may seem to have been overwhelmed. All indications thus point towards a seeming pre-determined plot to wear out the refugees in different camps by exposing them to the worst fate. Yet, the narrative on issues with the IDPs must change, at least, for the rest of the world not to conclude that Nigeria is as a nation peopled by mindless, ruthless, crude citizens.

So far, President Muhammadu Buhari has proved to be the saving grace for the inmates at the IDPs. It presupposes that the burden of reviving dying souls in the IDPs rests squarely on the shoulders of the Federal Government. President Muhammadu Buhari has shown sufficient compassion towards the north-east by moving Nigeria’s war arsenals to the zone, first to precipitate the defeat of the evil known as Boko Haram and on the other hand, see to the well being of those displaced from their communities by the insurgents.

Already, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is in charge of plans by the Federal Government to rebuild the war ravaged northeast zone of the country and has outlined different measures for doing that.

The office of the Vice President is not taking the report of poor state of IDPs, most especially the one in Bama lying low. It has launched a comprehensive probe on the allegation of diversion of food, monies and other materials meant for the refugees, to determine those who are culpable. Concerned Nigerians, however, expect heads to roll at the end of such probe, if indeed, cases of sharp practices with the largesse meant for the refugees, by government officials are established.

In all, the government of President Buhari deserves a welter of kudos for halting the advances of Boko Haram towards other parts of the country, while decimating the membership strength in the north-east. Buhari’s government deserves some commendations also for not resting on its oars on plans to rebuild the zone, backing up the process with the required legislation. All the same, Nigerians will continue to look up to the government for greater efforts in ending the miseries of refugees in their respective IDP camps.

As all hands are on deck on expectation of ability by the Federal Government to ensure the final relocation of the refugees in IDPs to their respective communities, it is trite to urge it to halt the open display of crass greed, rapacity and exploitations by officials of governments alleged to be stealing monies and materials meant for the refugees if only to limit the manmade disasters that the refugees are subjected to.

The tears that flow from the eyes of the refugees daily are a form of desperate appeal that President Buhari should come earnestly to their aide and save them from the antics of vampires who pretend to be attending to their needs, while they only serve their selfish interests.