Hon. Ahmed Baba Suleiman Yumu, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, has shed light on the devastating impact of banditry in Niger State.
He reported that 11,000 children have been forcibly removed from schools, and 29,774 individuals have been compelled to seek shelter in Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps.
Yumu made this revelation during the launch of the School to Kitchen empowerment program, led by Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, at the Gwada IDP camp in the Shiroro local government area of Niger State.
He expressed deep concern over the daily influx of internally displaced persons into various IDP camps across the state, describing it as alarming and heart-wrenching, as it places an immense strain on the state’s resources.
“Out of the 29,774 internally displaced persons in the state, 27,750 are women, 11,113 are out-of-school children, 3,201 are men, and 180 are individuals with special needs.
These IDP camps are not limited to Shiroro but are also spread across Mariga, Kontagora, Mashegu, Rijau, Mokwa, and Munya local government areas,” the commissioner disclosed.
He emphasized that the state is grappling with the dual responsibility of providing essential services and combating banditry while repurposing primary and secondary schools into IDP camps.
Yumu further revealed that bandit attacks were a constant threat in 11 out of the 25 local government areas spanning the three senatorial zones in the state, continually forcing people into various IDP camps.
As the special guest at the launch, Minister Betta Edu expressed her dismay over the closure of 400 schools in the state, deeming it unacceptable.
She assured that the federal government is committed to restoring peace in these troubled communities to enable displaced persons to return home.
Edu voiced the government’s concern about the presence of over 11,000 out-of-school children in various IDP camps within the state, calling upon donor agencies to support the government in providing education for these children in the camps
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