Reptiles ravage Taraba IDPs’ camp, Chinese donate to Adamawa’s inmates

Reptiles and other dangerous animals are threatening the lives of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in one of the camps in Gassol Local Council of Taraba State.

The camp leader, Ahmed Salihu Luwai, receiving the Minister for Women and Social Development, Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan, yesterday, said: “ Our lives in this camp are in danger.”

He admonished government to immediately make available to the camp, anti-snake medicines.Narrating how on several occasions, snakes and scorpions had sacked them from their tents, he said there was need for the Federal Government to fashion out ways of returning the IDPs to their original homes. Besides the threat from reptiles, the facility also lacks potable water, good sanitary system among others.

The minister, who was in the camp to distribute relief materials, urged patience, assuring that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was working to reunite the IDPs with their families.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Community in Nigeria has donated relief materials worth millions of naira to camps in Adamawa State as part of efforts to alleviate the hardship of victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.The items, which include foodstuff, pharmaceuticals and dairy products, were handed over by the community’s coordinator, Jiang Hug Wang, to the member representing Adamawa North senatorial district at the National Assembly and founder of Yola-based BNG Foundation, Binta Masi Garba, in Lagos.

Wang said the community, made up of 92 individuals and business owners in Nigeria, was touched by the untoward living of inmates, especially the children, hence it had to pool resources to better their lot.“Despite the efforts of government at various levels for the upkeep of IDPs, it is heart-rending that the children in the camp still look poorly fed and seeing them dying daily is disturbing hence the decision to donate these items. We intend to do more and urged other well-meaning individuals or group of individuals to come to the aid of the inmates who are suffering from severe acute malnutrition,” he pleaded.

Garba, receiving the items on behalf of the state government, thanked the Chinese for gesture and sought their collaboration.She also charged the expatriates to visit the state for an on-the-spot assessment, assuring them of their safety and equitable distribution of the relief materials.

She added: “Feeding the people right now I think is one of the things we should look into and when I heard about what the Chinese community is trying to do I thought I should be here, discussed with them and seek for collaboration in the area of infrastructure development.

“Like I told one of the coordinators that we don’t need physical cash but relief materials like foods, clothing and others. They can even assist in the reconstruction of schools, health centres, boreholes and other social amenities that were destroyed.

“I sincerely appreciate the efforts of the Chinese towards alleviating the suffering of children and the vulnerable women. It is something worthy of commendation and I know the state governor will be happy to receive them whenever they wish to visit Yola or the IDPs camp.”Garba’s constituency was hard hit by the insurgency and houses a greater number of the IDPs’ camps in the state.