By 
Abiodun OBA
No fewer than 80 newborn have been recorded in Benue State IDP camps in the last six months with the government in collaboration with well meaning agencies doing their best to ensure that the newborn were well taken care of.
The Executive Secretary of Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Dr. Emmanuel Shior made this known while flagging off the monthly distribution of food and non-food items to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in official and unofficial camps in parts of the state this weekend.
According to Shior, over 200 persons were displaced in the recent attack on Igama community in Okpokwu Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue state by suspected armed herdsmen and lamented that the attack had added to the burden of the state government.
He appealed to the Federal Government and international donors to pay attention to the overwhelming humanitarian crisis in the state and also do all they could to ensure the safe return of the close to two million IDPs to their ancestral homes.
Recall that Igama community was recently attacked by suspected armed herdsmen leading to the death of about 16 persons and displacement of several persons while many sustained injuries.
He said: “It is not our wish to keep the IDPs in the camps forever as a government that is responsive and responsible. But it requires the support of the Federal Government which is in charge of security agencies to assist the state government achieve this by ensuring that the communities are secured enough for them to return.
“Since that is yet to be done, we have taken it as a responsibility to provide food and other support to the IDPs. We will continue to provide food to them on a monthly basis.That is why we are here today and because we cannot abandon our people and allow them to die in hunger despite the indifference of the Federal Government.
”Between January and now, we have roughly between 70 plus to 80 child births that have been recorded,” he said.
Shior listed items for distribution to the IDPs to include 3000 bags of 25kg rice; 1000 bags of guinea corn; 1000 bags of maize; cartons of noodles and 1000 bags of garri and beans.
He said, “Our intention is to extend this month’s distribution to Okpokwu, recall that there were recent attacks in Okpokwu LGA, so we have displaced persons there too. We will be attending to over 200 persons that were displaced in that community.
“I am particularly drawing the attention of the international community and the Federal Government to the need to support the Benue state government in taking care of the IDPs because the burden is too much and overwhelming,” Dr. Shior stated.
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