Boko Haram: NEMA closed down 6 IDPs Camps in Adamawa

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) announced that it has closed down six former camps in Adamawa folloowing Boko Haram defeat.

Photo: FILE PHOTO: Mother and child in an Internally Displaced People’s camp Yola, Adamawa state – PremiumTimes

Mr. Sa’ad Bello, the Adamawa Camps Coordinator of the agency made this known.

He said this shortly after distributing food and nonfood relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons [IDPs] at Malkohi and Yolde Pate host community settlement camps.

The said camps are in Yola South Local Government Area of the state.

Bello confirmed that the closure of the camps followed the enormous victory recorded by Nigerian Army in crushing Boko Haram and reclaiming all captures areas in the state in totality.

He said that initially, the Agency has ten designated camps in the state with about 50,000 Internally Displaced Persons.

There are over 40,000 other IDPs living in host communities, according to him.

“Following the enormous victory recorded by Nigerian Army in defeating Boko Haram and reclaiming all captured areas in Adamawa, the camps begin decreasing.

“Almost 95 per cent of the Internally Displaced Persons living in ten designated camps in the state have returned to their respective villages and towns.

“And the Agency found it necessary to closed down six out of ten camps in the state Bello confirmed.

He listed those camps that were shut down included,  Bekaji, Kwanan Waya, Girei 1 and 2 camps, Federal Polytechnic Mubi ,Yola Campus  and EYN Church camps.

According to the coordinator, the remaining four existence camps sheltering less than ten thousand IDPs include NYSC Orientation camp, Fufore, Malkohi and St Theresa Cathedral camps.

He disclosed that the latest population data matrix analysis showed that there are still about 100,000 Internally Displaced Persons living with host communities in the state.

Bello stated that the agency now focused its humanitarian activities toward returnees’ areas to assists them recover.

He complained that among the major challenges facing the agency was how to assist and manage those that returned to make their life comfortable.

“Managing the return communities is the biggest challenges now facing the agency due to low resources.

“The dwindling economy in the country is directly hampering our activities to the large extent.” Bello said.

He also attributed lack of accurate data of people that returned to their communities as among the challenges.

“Without accurate data of the returnees from seven reclaimed local government areas of the state , we found it difficult to attain the need of the affected communities,” Bello added.

By Tom Garba, Yola

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