Residents, Stakeholders Back Closure Of Mokwa IDPs Camp

The closure of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Mokwa by the Niger State government was welcomed by concerned stakeholders including residents.

Supporting the closure, stakeholders argued that the camp established by the state government to provide temporary abode for victims of flooding in the area is fast becoming abode for illicit activities.

Major to concerns raised was the fear that the camp which was constructed to give succour to victims of the 29th May, 2025 flood disaster which claimed hundreds of lives and properties worth billions of Naira destroyed, might become a fertile recruiting ground for bandits.

The state government said reasons for the closure of the IDPs camp is not limited to security concerns, but the fear that the camp was fast becoming a hub for unwholesome activities which exposes more of the victims, especially the females and the host communities to various dimensions of risk.

Speaking to journalists on Friday on government’s position, the Chairman of Mokwa LGA, Alhaji Jibrin Abdullahi Muregi, said the decision to close the camp was reached during an expanded security meeting which took place at the Council’s Secretariat, Mokwa.

He said the IDPs camp as it stands today poses imminent danger to not only to Mokwa town but neighbouring villages and state hence the resolve to close

The Council Chairman, describing the continued existence of the IDPs camp as, “danger in disguise’, said the government had taken proactive steps to address the situation before it gets out of control.

He disclosed that the Council had received several complaints from the residents about how the IDPs camp was infiltrated by persons who are strangers to the camp.

Responding to the series of complaints, he said the local government wrote officially to other organisations to vacate the premises within 24 hours and also notified traditional security agencies and the state governor of actions taken to avert security breaches.

Muregi said the decision was done in the best interest of the state.

“Decision to close down the IDPs camp was taken to ensure safety of lives and sources of likelihood of the entire Mokwa community and environs”.

Stressing that the decision to shut down the camp was an all encompassing one, the Chairman said the decisions had the input of the village head of Mokwa (Ndalile of Mokwa), Alhaji Muhammed Shaba, Etsuyamkpa of Ndayako, Sarkin Hausawa of Mokwa, the head of security agencies in the area, Alhaji Tanko Bala, Mokwa Council members, including the legislature, who were all present at the enlarged stakeholders meeting.

He said the demolition of the structures were as well, witnessed by the Area Commander of the Nigeria Police Force, New Bussa Area Command, ACP Godwin Ihean and the heads of other security agencies.

Alhaji Muhammed Shaba, the Ndalile of Mokwa, said over 85 per cent of the flood victims have been paid compensation according to the state government’s directive.

He however, noted that those accusing the handlers of the entire compensation exercise of inconsistencies may be victims of their own mistakes.

While all the victims of Mokwa flood disaster who met all the requirements have been paid, the traditional ruler revealed that some may not have been able to get financial benefits like others due to inconsistencies in their Bank accounts.

A neighbour to the Mokwa IDPs camp, Malam Musa Sheshi, expressed relief over the camp’s closure, adding that, “The camp is very close to our house, the aim of the camp by the Red Cross Society is to help flood the victims, but that has not been the case.

“Majority of the people allocated shelters in the camp were not flood victims. When you come in the afternoon, the camp always looks empty, you won’t see anyone, but in the night, you will see a lot of people of different calibre that we do not know”.

Commending the state government for such a proactive step, he said members of the neighborhood have been in fears that the camp could as well be serving as potential hideout for armed bandits if nothing was done to dismantle the facilities.

Even, Yusuf Isah, alleged that some men and women were using the camp for immoral activities.

“Some men used to come and sleep with women in the night and go in the morning you won’t see anybody in the afternoon”, he said.

The camp was built by the Nigerian Red Cross Society as a temporary shelter for victims of the May 29 flash flood disaster, was demolished after an expanded security meeting at the Mokwa council secretariat.