Having been left to their fate, thousands of internally displaced persons, IDPs at Maraba Rido Camp in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Northwest Nigeria, are in urgent and acute need of food and clothing.
The Camp has been populated by peasant farmers who were displaced from their villages in Chikun, Kajuru and Kachia local government areas by bandits, unknown gunmen and other terrorist groups who have taken over their homestead.
Numbering about four thousand, the IDPs were made up of 1,327 girls, 1036 boys, 922 women including widows and 634 men as at the last count in December 2022.
The revelations are contained in a Report made available to Africa Prime News by a non governmental organization, Eko Smile Support and Empowerment Initiative (ESSEI), after a visit to the Camp on humanitarian Rural Community Outreach for IDPs led by its Founder, Blessing Eko Sunday.
ESSEI team with some items for the IDPs
The NGO which saw the harrowing sub human condition of the IDPs calls on other humanitarian organizations to collaborate to alleviate the sufferings to bring them succour.
The urgent and acute need of the IDPs listed by the NGO, are as follows – Food and clothing, Make-shift accommodations, Job opportunities,Skills acquisition/empowerment trainings,
Educational support for the children and interested adults as well as Medical support.
Here Under Is The Full Report Calling For Urgent Humanitarian Aid.
REPORT ON IDPs AT MARABA RIDO, CHIKUN LGA, KADUNA STATE
Eko Smile Support & Empowerment Initiative (ESSEI) is a Non-Governmental and Not-for-Profit Organization born out of the need to support in improving the living standard of the vulnerable population particularly orphans and widows in our communities.
Our organization visited the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Maraba Rido, Chukun Local Government Area, on April 26, 2023, and saw the harrowing sub-human conditions of the IDPs. May 2nd, 2023 we organized a Humanitarian Rural Communities Outreach for the IDPs, led by the founder of ESSEI; Blessing Eko Sunday; highlights of the event include; Free Medical Check-ups, distribution of clothes, drinks and talk on DEALING WITH DEPRESSION.
Please, find below a brief report on the state of affairs in the camp.
A. LOCATION AND STATE OF THE IDPs
Some of the IDPs live in uncompleted buildings while others find shelter in any available space that benevolent villagers and residents of nearby communities avail them, those who managed to get accommodations cannot afford to pay the rents.
The IDPs rely on the goodwill of other poor villagers in neighboring communities and the efforts of the coordinators, led by Adams Sule and the local chief of the community, for feeding and clothing.
The vast majority of the children do not have access to any formal education.
B. FACTS ON THE IDPS
The IDPs are mostly populated by peasant farmers who were displaced from their various villages from many parts of Chukun, Kajuru and Kachia Local Government Areas of Kaduna State by bandits, unknown gunmen and other terrorist groups. Most of the IDPs are from Anguwan Rimi Kaso, Wako, Suleja Kaso, Telele, Anguwan Sarari, Anguwan Gaida, Kaso Kurmi, Anguwan Zhibada, and neighbouring communities.
Over 60% of the IDPs are children whose parents were slaughtered by the gunmen that invaded, and, in some cases, occupied their villages. The rest of them are mostly widows whose husbands had been killed in the attacks on their communities. There are some men who were lucky enough to escape the attacks that cost the lives of many of their friends, relations and neighbors. From survivors’ accounts, some of the IDPs who, out of frustration, went back to their homes were killed by the bandits who had taken over their homesteads.
Records captured by the camp coordinators have the following statistics of the camp dwellers:
• Girls – 1,327
• Boys – 1,036
• Women (mostly widows) 922
• Men – 634
The foregoing data were as at the last head-count of the IPDs in the camp which was carried out in December 2022. The number keeps growing as other victims and survivors of banditry attacks come to the camp to seek refuge on weekly basis.
There are virtually no economic activities to keep the men and women and are very prone to depression and despondency because of this situation.
C. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PRAYERS
The IDPs have urgent and acute need for:
1. Food and clothing
2. Make-shift accommodations
3. Job opportunities
4. Skills acquisition/empowerment trainings
5. Educational support for the children and interested adults
6. Medical support
Please link us with organizations for collaboration to alleviate the sufferings of the thousands of the IDPs in Maraba Rido, Chikun Local Area of Kaduna in any other way possible to bring hope and succour to the IDPs.” the reports concluded.
History of the camp is not captured