The Borno State Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday said it had concluded arrangements to resettle 1,900 displaced households at a newly established Internally Displaced Persons camp in Maiduguri.
SEMA’s Chairperson, Hajiya Yabawa Kolo, told newsmen in Maiduguri that the camp, located at the Sani Abacha Stadium, was set up with support from the international humanitarian organizations.
Kolo, who was reacting to protest staged by IDPs over alleged lack of food and shelter, said that the project was designed to decongest the 5,000 capacity Teachers’ Village IDPs camp and provide temporary shelters for the displaced persons.
“We recorded over 35,000 new arrivals of IDPs, who were displaced from their homes in Baga, Kruss-Kawwa and adjourning communities in Kukawa Local Government Area of the state.
“There is massive displacement due to the resurging Boko Haram attacks; we have influx of IDPs which resulted in congestion in camps in Maiduguri metropolis.
“Already, the state government had constructed 200 temporary shelters at the Teachers’ Village camp; we need more shelters to accommodate the increasing number of IDPs in the metropolis.
“Humanitarian organisations had constructed about 4,000 temporary shelters for 1,900 displaced households at the stadium, we are going to resettle them soon”.
According to her, the agency is working in collaboration with National Emergency Management Agency and humanitarian actors to provide food and non food assistance to the IDPs in 14 registered camps in Maiduguri and host communities.
Kolo dismissed as misleading, reports indicating that the IDPs staged a demonstration to protest alleged lack of food.
She noted that the protest was triggered sequel to the suspension of registration exercise by the International Committee of Red Cross.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that IDPs at the Teachers’ Village Camp on Tuesday staged a protest over alleged lack of food and shelter at the camp.
It took the intervention of the police, military and other security personnel to disperse the protesters who blocked Maiduguri-Kano Highway.