After staying for seven years in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) informal camp in Malkohi, a suburb of Yola town in Adamawa state Northeast Nigeria the 2,860 IDPs from Borno state with the majority from Gwoza Local Government Area are now faced with a myriad of life challenges.
Narrating their ordeal to West African Pilot News, the IDPs said inhabitants of Malkohi who offered some portions of land turned into IDP Camp are now demanding their land. Apart from that, the tents are worn out, with no beds and bedding despite the harsh weather condition. More so, being peasant farmers, they also decried the incessant attacks on their farms by herders.
According to them, they were forced to harvest their farm produce prematurely despite the untold hardship they were passing through at the Malkohi IDP host community.
Musa Tela stated that before then they were getting relief materials from the government and other organizations, but for the past two years, nobody sent relief materials either to them.
“We farm to feed our family, but we are faced with attacks on our farms by herders, 150 farms of various sizes were completely destroyed by the herders, we are calling on the relevant authorities to come to our aid”. He added.
Tela however said only recently NEMA gave them 70 bags of rice of 25kg and 350 gallons of cooking oil.
Abdullahi Idrisu, Chairman IDP Malkohi informal camp appealed to Adamawa, Borno, and Federal governments to assist them with food items, beds, and beddings as well as provision of social amenities to make their lives comfortable.
Another IDP, Adamu Muhammadu Bello from Balangaji village in Gwoza local government said “I have spent four years here, life is terrible, we have no option but to stay, they herd their cattle into our farms, if you talk they would beat you after their cattle devour farm produce”.
Salamatu Mohammed who is the woman leader in the camp stated that women are facing challenges of lives.
“Our tents are tattered, we don’t have enough clothes, beds, and beddings, we are now in harsh weather, we are praying to Allah for his intervention to save us from our present predicament”. She said
Other IDPs Ali Tela, Dimka Ahmadu, and Ummati Garba said they are fed up with deceit that the government will build houses for them.
“We are tired of taking our statistics by various organs of government and non-governmental organizations as nothing fruitful is coming after the compilation of our populations and our needs”. They lamented.
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