Benue IDPs Rally Against Poor Camp Conditions

On Thursday, displaced residents from the Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State staged a protest over the poor living conditions in the camp set up by the state government.

The individuals, who were displaced by coordinated attacks allegedly carried out by armed herders, were relocated to a temporary camp at the International Market in Makurdi after the violence claimed several lives and destroyed numerous homes.

President Bola Tinubu, along with governors from the North-Central region and other officials, visited Benue State on Wednesday to engage with stakeholders on strategies to bring an end to the ongoing violence in the state.

During his visit, the President also stopped by the hospital where some of the attack victims are currently receiving medical care.

He could not visit the Yelwata incident site due to poor road conditions.

On Thursday, protesters in Makurdi blocked all major entrances to the temporary camp at George Akume Way to express their frustration over the mistreatment they have faced since arriving at the camp.

They accused state government officials of misappropriating relief materials donated by generous individuals and humanitarian organizations.

One of the internally displaced persons, who gave his name as Fidelis Igban from the Yelwata community, expressed concern over hunger and the poor condition of the camp’s surroundings.

He said, “Imagine, people would come to the camp and donate food items and other relief materials to us (IDPs), and once those items were handed over to the officials, that’s the end.”

He added, “Just a few days ago, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, came to the camp and donated some items for onward distribution to IDPs. Up till now, we have not seen anything.”

“The Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr Paul Enenche, came here and donated materials for our consumption, yet nothing gets to us. We are starving and dying here. We want to go back to our homes.

“We are running away from our comfort homes due to herdsmen attacks after our parents, children and wives were killed and now, we are here facing another critical challenge.

“There’s no food, our children are starving, we sleep on the floor, and mosquitoes are almost killing us. We are suffering, and people are dying. Officials overseeing camp management were hoarding and diverting donated materials,” he said.

Erdoo Targa, another IDP, shared that she was six months pregnant upon arriving at the camp and struggled to access medical facilities.

“The government brought us here and abandoned us. No food, no medical care, hunger is telling on us. We are starving and our children are getting sick day by day,” she said.

“We embarked on this protest to draw the attention of the government and public-spirited individuals to our plight,” she added.

Attempts to contact the Commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Aondoaseer Kude, and the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. James Iorpuu, were unsuccessful, as they did not respond to calls or text messages.

The Information Officer for SEMA, Tema Ager, said he was not authorised to comment on the protest.

“Kindly get across to the Head of Administration of SEMA or the Commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management.

“They are in better positions to speak to journalists. Thanks,” Ager said.