Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) learning centre in Edo State raised the alarm on Sunday over what the foundation described as overwhelming pressure on the facility. Home for the Needy Foundation, which houses IDPs in the state, reported mounting pressure from various states to admit more displaced persons fleeing terrorist attacks and violent invasions across several states in the country.
Foundation Faces Growing Demand
The Founder and Coordinator of the Home, who disclosed this in Benin, said the Home has over the years accommodated victims of insurgency from Borno, Plateau and Kebbi states. Now, it is battling fresh requests from displaced families escaping attacks in Katsina and other parts of the country.
According to him, worsening insecurity and the silent occupation of rural communities by armed groups have continued to push helpless families into displacement with little attention from authorities.
Limited Resources and Space
Speaking of the growing humanitarian burden confronting the camp, the cleric lamented that the facility no longer has adequate space and resources to absorb the increasing number of victims seeking refuge.
“People from Katsina are calling us every day asking to come to our centre, but where are we going to keep them?” he asked.
He warned that insurgency and violent attacks have spread beyond the North-East region into states including Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, Oyo and Ekiti, stressing that many killings and displacements occurring in rural communities are not being reported.
“Communities in Plateau and parts of the North-East are still being occupied. People are displaced daily and nobody is talking about it,” he lamented.
Stories of Hardship
Folorunsho further narrated the ordeal of a widow supported by the centre through farming whose entire harvest was carted away by terrorists after invading the farmland.
“One widow we supported in farming lost everything after terrorists attacked the farm and killed people there,” he said, describing the incident as part of the harsh realities confronting displaced families trying to rebuild their lives.
Long-Term Solutions Sought
The cleric said the centre has now shifted attention towards agricultural settlement and food production initiatives as a long-term response to the crisis.
He revealed that land had been secured around Kwali Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory to enable displaced persons to engage in farming and become self-reliant, adding that some families have already been settled in rented homes across villages with access to farmland.
Urgent Appeal for Support
Folorunsho, while appealing for urgent intervention, called on corporate organisations, donor agencies and well-meaning Nigerians to support the centre with toiletries, sanitary pads, mattresses and educational materials for displaced children.
“We need help. We need soap, sanitary pads, mattresses and support for the education of these children. We have proven our integrity and we want corporate bodies to partner with us,” he said.
