From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
In a compassionate show of solidarity, the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) has donated 500 loaves of BIPC bread and 1,000 sachets of water to victims displaced by the recent deadly attack on Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State.
The Group Managing Director of BIPC, Dr Raymond Asemakaha, accompanied by BIPC top management and staff, donated the items to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp located at the International Market, along George Akume Way, and also pledged that the donation would be sustained every three days.
“We are here to stand in solidarity with you and share in your pain. We will continue to bring bread and water every three days for as long as you remain here. You’re not alone.
“The Governor we have, the one that is doing everything possible to restore peace so that people will go back to their homes, will not allow the enemy to succeed.
“We feel your pains. Nobody will be happy to wake up and see that his family members or friends are killed, houses burnt to ashes, and everything destroyed.
“We just came here with a little token of 500 loaves of bread and 1,000 sachets of water today. This will continue three times every week,” he said.
Dr Asemakaha also conveyed the commitment of Governor Hyacinth Alia to restore peace and security in Yelwata and other areas affected by insecurity in the state, assuring the victims that the state government will not abandon them in their time of need.
Welcoming the BIPC management, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, and the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Sir James Iorpuu, expressed appreciation for the donation.
Iorpuu, who was represented by the Head of Operations, Dr Donald Komgbenda, revealed that the camp is currently housing 3,078 internally displaced persons across 1,277 households, comprising 1,057 males and 2,027 women and children.
The humanitarian gesture comes days after the massacre in Yelwata, where scores of people were reportedly killed in a violent attack.