The violent conflict orchestrated by the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in the north- eastern region of Nigeria claimed no fewer than 3,120 lives in 2015. This huge death toll does not include the number of soldiers, armed militants, insurgents and terrorists who lost their lives in the combat during the year under review. On the average, Nigeria lost an estimated 255 persons per month.

The peak was 2,107 in January resulting from the Baga Massacre where 2,000 persons were reportedly killed in one day. So far, the conflict, which has been raging for about six years, has left several towns and villages destroyed and millions persons including men, women and children have fled their homes.

A recent Displacement Tracking Matrix conducted by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) showed that so far, the conflict has displaced a total of 2,151,979 who are currently living in 42 camps across 13 states of Nigeria.

The camps are located in Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara states. In addition, there are at least seven IDP camps in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. Official statistics obtained from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) shows that 86 per cent of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the federation are from the North-East region while the remaining 14 per cent are from other states.

Sunday Telegraph gathered that 52 per cent of the IDPs are female while 48 per cent are male. Out of these, only 10 per cent are living in the IDP camps while the rest are living amongst friends and relatives in the different host communities they fled to but are still accessing assistance from the government through NEMA.

Sunday Telegraph also learnt that as at the end of December 2015, about 20 camps had been disbanded in Yola, Adamawa State as the Nigerian Armed Forces reclaimed several towns and villages and the IDPs began to return to their original homes. Most of them would be starting life all over again because they fled without carrying anything except the clothing on them and they returned to meet the ruins of their homes.

The National Emergency Management Agency said that it has been working in the conflict zone right from the onset, when the security challenge in the North- East began to escalate and the state of emergency was declared by the Federal Government.

NEMA’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ezekiel Manzo, said the agency has been working with the military in creating humanitarian cells for delivery of basic supplies to the affected persons in their communities.

According to Manzo, the situation continued to escalate as more communities were displaced, forcing the people to flee to distant locations, some even across the borders into the neighbouring Republics of Cameroun, Chad and Niger. “The humanitarian intervention by NEMA under the emergency was to provide basic supports of livelihood to the IDPs.

Under this phase, the interventions were aimed at meeting the basic needs of the people such as foods, shelter and clothing. There is also the aspect of health, which is equally very important under this phase.

The agency has been doing everything possible by rallying medical supports that included supplies of drugs and medical consumables for treatment of the sick and the most vulnerable including the aged, children and pregnant women. “The Federal Government’s humanitarian intervention in the North East is a child of necessity to support the distressed victims of insurgency.

The survival and comfort of the victims have always been the focus of the supports. For more than two years now, NEMA has continued to maintain active presence in the provision of supports to the IDPs in the North East. The agency has deployed its officers on special humanitarian assignments in the management of camps with officials of the State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) in Yola, Maiduguri and Damaturu where many IDPs are presently taking temporary shelters,” he said.

The agency, Manzo further disclosed, has been able to meet up with the challenges by expanding its responses and rallying the cooperation of the stakeholders. The agency, he explained, adopted a number of strategies suitable for addressing evolving challenges in the course of caring for the IDPs. “For instance, in Borno State, which has the largest number of the IDPs, the agency had to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government to clearly define the roles of the state and NEMA in the management of the affected persons. Another major challenge was the best channel to reach many of the IDPs that are living in the host communities.

However, with the supports of the states government, civil society organisations and faith based organizations, special avenues have been created for regular distribution of supports of relief items that are delivered by NEMA to them in designated locations.

“Besides, the agency has also been very proactive by going the extra miles of providing supports to the IDPs in the informal camps immediately after being informed and a rapid assessment is carried out on their locations.

These informal camps are discovered to exist in many communities and the agency has been doing everything possible in assisting the IDPs found to be living together in those camps,” Manzo said.

However, NEMA had to contend with serious challenges such as identifying the real IDPs from ghost refugees; infiltration of the camps by terrorists and high port tariffs in the clearing of some relief material sent by international donor agencies. Sunday Telegraph gathered that some of these items are currently lying fallow at the sea ports of Lagos.

The agency also had to bear the added burden of thousands of Nigerians who had earlier fled to the neighbouring countries but were forced to return home after a period of sojourn as refugees in those countries. “NEMA received about 20, 000 from the Republic of Niger through Geidam, Yobe State and facilitated their movements back home to their various states.

Between July and December, the agency received more than 18, 000 from the Republic of Cameroun through Sahuda border post in Mubi, Adamawa State and moved them to the IDPs camps in Yola and Fufore where some have already been transported back to their locations both within the state and Borno. Those in the camps are being catered for by officers of the agency that are presently supporting them along with the other IDPs,” Manzo said.

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