Commission begins IDPs, refugees’ data collection in N’East

From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has commenced the process for the collection of data on violations and abuses of the rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in the northeast.

Executive Secretary  of the commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, disclosed this at the opening of a two-day training for its staff and volunteers group; Community Protection Action Group on data collection and collation in Maiduguri, yesterday.

“We must have data for our country to have any development plan for iDPs, refugees, returnees and asylum seekers regarding violations and abuses of the rights, of this class of people,” he said

Ojukwu who was represented by the commission’s director of motoring, Mr Benedict Agwu explained that a lead assessment conducted by the commission

shows presence of violations of IDPs, refugees and returnees’ rights in northeast states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Taraba.

He, however, said the commission is yet to establish the level of the violations. “This is one of the reasons we organised this training supported by the UNHCR )United Nations High Commission on Refugees),” he told journalists in an interaction during the training.

He said the training is to exercise the protection concerns of the people due to their vulnerability always. “He said there was a need to protect this class of people.

He said the 54 participants drawn from Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba are expected to learn a new skill of data collection on human rights violations, specifically  those concerning Gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, restriction of movement issue, family, social cohesion and psycho-social issues.