From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camps set up for survivors of the attacks on villages of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State is said to be in a pathetic condition that requires urgent attention.
Camp official, Mr. Enoch Markus who is also the Financial Secretary of Mwagavul Development Association (MDA) National Body stated this at weekend while speaking to a team of Journalist who have gone round attacked communities as well as the IDPs Camp located at Pilot Science Primary School Bungha in Mangu town to assess their plights.
He lamented that children are fallen sick on a regular basis as a result of the usage of the Primary Schools classrooms floor without mattresses, a situation he said required delibrate efforts to further save the helpless situation from degenerating to children mortality in the camp.
“We have so many IDPs, this is just one of the Camp, we have about 24 Camps that we use to distribute food to them. The one in Fan we have over 2000 IDPs, there is another one in Pankshin, we have people scattered in people’s houses which we normally gather them in one place and share what we have for them to help the people they’re living with.”
Markus said most of the IDPs only run for their lives without picking anything aside the clothes on them when the attackers descended on their communities and are in need os basic necessities of life.
“All those people staying in those houses is not that they have anything, they have lost everything because we have almost 26 to 27 villages that have been raze down completely and those that came out of that village didn’t came out with anything apart from the clothing that you see on their body.”
He disclosed how they have been sustaining the IDPs for almost two months of the conflict, “We have been sustaining them through the support of individuals and NGOs, we have not received anything from government yet.
“The crisis is getting to two months now because is one month two weeks already and we have not seen any intervention from the government at the federal and state level for the time being. But we thank God for the individual, associations and Church bodies.”
The Camp Official appeale to government to step into the plights of the IDPs in the areas of food, accomodations and healthcare needs that is very crucial for their stay in the Camp pending their returns to ancestral aboard.
“We really need intervention from government because if you go into some of these classes you will see that children are laying down sick, no medical assistance, no food, no clothing, no beddings.
“In terms of comparison I will say better this Camp ma, it has a little source of good water. But the Camp we have in Pankshin and Fan, their source of sanitary condition is very very poor!
“You can see the weather now, is not conducive for somebody to be sleeping on a bare floor especially these smaller children, it has not been easy with us, we seriously need intervention from government,” he cried out.
One of the IDPs, Mrs Naomi Monday a mother of five said she was tired of roaming the town with her child in search of food and had to local the government Camp at LGEA Primary School Bungha for food.
“I have five children, they burned our houses, myself and my children have been moving from one house to the other looking for food in the town. I am tired of the wondering, so I decided to come to this Camp, because I know we will get something to eat here no matter what.
“We have been living here with my children, I want government to help us because the Fulani people passed our power. Let government help us stop this crisis, if not we don’t have any place to go!” she emotionally stated.