By Isaac Kertyo, Makurdi
The State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Benue State has distributed food items as well as non food items to the Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs) camps across the state to ameliorate their hardship.
Briefing Journalists in Makurdi on Wednesday, the state capital, the Executive Secretary of SEMA in Benue State, Dr Emmanuel Shior who expressed worry over the long stay of the IDPs in camps, stressed that the state government alone can’t address the security challenge bedeviling the state.
“The IDPs have been here with us for a very long time. Generally as a humanitarian agency of Government our responsibility is to continue to provide relief materials to them to cushion their hardship.”
The SEMA boss continued: “As you know there is no Government that keeps IDPs for too long. Unfortunately, what has led them to be in camps is still there-is the challenge of insecurity, is the challenge of attacks on the farming rural communities leading to their displacement, that challenge has not been addressed”.
Dr Shior contended that, Benue State Government alone can’t address the security challenge. He Implored the Federal Government to intervene to address the challenge of insecurity to secure the lives of the aforementioned farming communities and facilitate quick return of the victims to their homes.
According to the Executive Secretary, one million five hundred and ninety seven Internally Displaced Persons’ are currently staying in various camps across the state.
He lauded development partners such as UNDP, non governmental organizations, the Church of Christ on the Later Days, among other critical stakeholders for their various interventions.
Items distributed include four thousand eight hundred bags of rice, three hundred cartons of indomie, two hundred 5 litres of palm oil, three hundred bags of salt among others.
