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Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Camp Manager of Abagana Internally Displaced Persons(IDP) Camp in Benue state, James Iorkyaa has disclosed that the camp is still housing 8,210 IDPs as at now.
Iorkyaa who disclosed this to newsmen on Tuesday at the camp said the people are yet to return to their ancestral homes for fear of being killed by Fulani herdsmen whom he alleged are still around in some of the villages in Guma Local area of the state.
He said some of the IDPs who attempted to return home had to run back to the camp after news of the destruction of farms belonging to some villagers by Fulani cattle filtered in.
“People have not returned to but only visiting their homes and coming back. You have come at a time majority of them have gone to the farm to harvest their goods especially now that the herdsmen are coming back.
Iorkyaa who is a staff of the state Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said from the report he gets from the IDPs daily, it was not yet safe for them to return to their villages.
“We have reports from the locals who go to farms everyday. The herdsmen are in almost all villages in Guma like Torkular, Umenger and Kaseyo. 8,210 IDPs still in camp.
He appealed to the federal government not to withdraw military troops yet until the issue of security of the hinterlands are completely tacked and the IDPs are resettled in their ancestral homes.
“I’m not in support of the withdrawal of troops yet because the herdsmen are still coming and destroying farmlands. Although the troops are trying their best, the villages are not yet safe for them to be withdrawn. Some herdsmen were seen at Uvir village and their cattle were impounded by Livestock guards just recently.”
The Camp Manager disclosed further that the camp had witnessed 69 births and 41 deaths as well as three marriages since it was opened in 2018 till date adding that the camp had not witnessed any issue of rape since it is fenced and has security agencies guarding it.
He commended donor agencies and non governmental organizations who have been partnering with the state government to ensure the welfare of the IDPs since inception.
Daily Sun observed that the camp premises was kept clean by the IDPs who have overtime imbibed the habit of cleanliness as against what obtained when they first arrived in camp.
