By Sunday Elijah
A nonprofit, PeacePro has called on the Nigerian government to put all international humanitarian organizations in the country on close surveillance, as well as investigate activities of such organizations operating in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across North East Nigeria,
PeacePro was reacting to the news that an organization was involved in the recruitment and payment of individuals and groups to commit acts of terror in the most vulnerable places such as IDP camps is a scary development that should not be treated with a soft hand.
“In March, three persons, including children were confirmed dead after a fire gutted an IDP camp at the Muna Alambari area of Borno,” a statement by the Executive Director of PeacePro, Mr Abdulrazaq Hamzat, said in reaction to fire outbreaks reported in some displaced persons camps in Borno State.
“Another fire incident ravaged two IDP camps and a market, resulting in two deaths and N50 million in property damage,” he added.
While it is assumed that these fire incidences are accidental, emerging reports claim otherwise.
According to Hamzat, a viral video circulating online shows a young man confessing to arson — deliberately causing fire outbreaks — in IDP camps and other areas in Borno State.
The unidentified suspect, apprehended by a vigilante group, alleged that he was sponsored on the burning mission by two non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
One of the suspected arsonists said he and his accomplices were paid N10,000 per fire, targeting Monguno, Gubio, and Maiduguri. The suspect added that the alleged scheme began over a year ago.
PeacePro said that it followed the reaction of the Borno State government and that of the Nigeria Police and believes that the federal government must wade into the matter to establish what is truly happening.
Hamzat explained that the Borno State government through its commissioner for information and internal security, Professor Usman Tar, claimed that a suspect has admitted that he and his “co-conspirators” were “hired” by some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (names withheld) to set internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps on fire.
The police on the other hand were not so vocal about their findings, calling to question the entire reaction to such a scary development.
PeacePro is therefore calling for a more proactive response to the development by the federal government.
Hamzat maintained that the indictment of NGOs as contained in the statement of the Borno State government is enough to declare a state of emergency on the operations of all humanitarian NGOs in the North East to truly ascertain what is happening because NGOs are supposed to be aid workers, not terrorist suspects.
We are calling on the federal government to look into the matter and establish the truth of what is happening in the northeast, particularly regarding the allegation against NGOs sponsoring the burning of IDP camps.
