The Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp housing some of the people displayed by Fulani herdsmen attacks in the outskirt of Makurdi, the Benue State Capital, has been submerged by flood.
A visit to the Tse-Yandev IDP camp located at Uni-Agric road, North Bank, by our correspondent on Tuesday shows that the IDPs’ tents built with worn mosquitos nets and grasses were floating in the water.
Some of the IDPs who spoke to our correspondent on anonymous conditions said the flood has worsened their conditions as they sleep on bare floors and sacks, which the flood has made too chilly for them.
“We can no longer sleep in our tents because the ground will be too cold. Our nets and sacks have been wetted by the rain. And some of our belongings were flooded,” one of the women told KemiFilaniNews correspondent.
Asked what the Benue State Government is doing about their conditions, she said; “The government has abandoned us. We drink water from pits and feed and clothes solely on the mercies of volunteers which have been come very scantily these days. The only time we see government people is when they come to share 3 cups of rice, 2 cups of beans and 3 cups of gari to each of us once in while.”
Another IDP at the camp said like most of the IDPs he wants the government to restore security to their indigenous communities where they were displayed from so that they can return to their farms and have a better life adding that he was tired of the nightmarish conditions they are exposed to in the camp.
“The harsh conditions we are exposed to have led to the outbreak of killer diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, polio, malaria in IDPs camp. Also, hunger has caused a lot of malnutrition possibilities especially among children in the camps. Our women and children are the worst hit by the diseases.
I want to appeal to the government to restore security to our farming communities so that we can return home since it has abandoned us. As I speak, Fulani herdsmen are still in my village in Guma local government,” he lamented.
This is as the Benue State Government is deducting N2,000 monthly from all state government workers for maintenance of IDPs in addition to security votes and Ecological funds meant for IDPs welfare.