As the harmattan season gradually sets in, a group under the aegis of Plateau Youth G17 Peace and Progressive Forum has raised the alarm that more than 20,000 of the Internally Displaced Persons in Plateau State might be in “horrible” humanitarian conditions due to negligence of the government.
The group through its leader, Dachung Bagos, raised the alarm while addressing journalists in Jos.
According to him, since the attacks in some communities in June, 2018, which claimed the lives of over 200 persons and the displacement of over 38, 000 people, mainly women and children, the Federal Government is yet to deliver any humanitarian aid to the IDPs.
Bagos said, that despite promising to mobilize the National Emergency Management Agency to rescue the displaced persons, no effort has been made by the Federal Government.
“Consequently, most of the over 20,000 IDPs currently living in seven IDP camps across the state suffer lack of food, shelter and clothing”, he lamented.
“As it is now, most of the IDPs have no accommodation and have to squat in makeshift rooms or uncompleted buildings with no social amenities.
“Worrisome also is the fact that we are approaching the cold harmattan season with the festivities and holidays around the corner. It is most disheartening for one to imagine these innocent citizens, who have lost everything being continually forgotten to the point of celebrating Christmas in the cold because of the criminal neglect by government”, he decried.
He, however, lauded the United States of America’s government for supporting some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the state with “millions of Naira through Plateau Peace Building Agency to aid in the reintegration of displaced persons.
“We wish to call on the Plateau Peace Building Agency to urgently swing into action and ensure the transparent utilization of the said donor funds in accordance with the well-intentioned mandate of the US government”, Bagos stressed.
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