Follow Us on Google
John Adams, Minna
The over 10,000 people who were displaced from their homes following the onslaught by bandits in some communities in Niger State have cried out to the government to allow them to return to their ancestral homes.
Following sustained attacks and invasion by bandits and kidnappers resulting in loss of innocent lives and property, residents of over 50 communities across three local government areas of Rafi, Shiroro and Munya were forced to abandon their homes and the people are being kept at over six Internally Displaced People (IDPs) camps across these three local governments.
Although the people were full of praises for the government for the provision of relief materials, including food, clothes medicine and other essential things, they said there is nowhere like home and therefore urged the Niger state government to expedite action on securing their communities to facilitate their return to their ancestral homes.
One of the displaced persons with his two wives and seven children at Kuta IDPs camp in Shiroro local government, Malam Audu Makeri, told our correspondent that even though they were not lacking anything at the camp, “there is no place like home; we want to return to our villages.”
Malam Makeri said: “Now that the rains are fast approaching, we have to go back to start preparing for this year’s planting season. You know we lost everything to these bandits and kidnappers and we don’t have anything again.”
While appreciating the support government had rendered to them since their relocation, he disclosed that if not for government quick intervention, lives would have been meaningless.
According to him, “even though we know that the government has tried for us, we don’t lack anything much, but we cannot remain here forever. Let them help us provide enough security so that we can go and continue with our farming.”
He confirmed that some of the IDPs in Kuta town had voluntarily returned to their homes because of some relative peace as the areas appeared to be safe for them to return.
When contacted the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed Inga said the government understands their frustration of staying away from homes, their return home will largely depend on clearance from the government and the security agents who are making everything possible to ensure peace return to the area.
Inga said “it is not unusual for the IDPs to seek to return to their villages, normally they will always feel home sick but this does not mean that they are lacking anything in the camp.
“The decision for them to return lies with the government which is in charge of security of the whole state; our own responsibility as an agency is to make life liveable for them which we have done religiously through the government support.”
He disclosed that the government has been spending millions of naira to make the camp habitual for the IDPs, adding that “am sure they are not complaining of government neglect but because they are missing their homes.”
Inga appreciated the IDPs for comporting themselves in peaceful and orderly manners all these time that they have been in the camps, stressing that “their hosts have not complained about any of them.
