Jos, Kaduna post-election violence…Survivors cry out, say Ramadan is hell at camps

She was one of the many girls who engage in such errands for their meals. They belong to the 19-month-old Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camp at Sabon Layi, Jos North local government area of Plateau State following the outbreak of hostilities in January last year. The IDPs who were originally from Sabon Layin Rusau have […]

She was one of the many girls who engage in such errands for their meals. They belong to the 19-month-old Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camp at Sabon Layi, Jos North local government area of Plateau State following the outbreak of hostilities in January last year.

The IDPs who were originally from Sabon Layin Rusau have been seeking refuge at an abandoned shopping complex in the area which is a stone throw from the Farin Gada market. Weekly Trust gathered that they have been struggling to return to their houses in the area but to no avail despite efforts by security agencies to assist in that direction.

“We go there to pick discarded tomatoes, cabbage, and other items that we think may be useful in preparing meals to break our fast. Sometimes we are pursued by the market people when they see us picking the items despite the fact that they have been discarded,” Ummi said. Since the commencement of the fasting period, efforts have been intensified by different families seeking refuge in the shopping complex to not only put food on the table but to also seek for other means to make both ends meet considering that Sallah (Eid-Fitr) is fast-approaching.

Malam Sa’idu Bala, the spokesperson of the IDP said life has been hard since they were forced to leave their houses in January last year saying a lot of them have been relying on their children in the camp to provide means for their survival. “Some of us who are not too strong rely on our children who go to the Farin Gada market to offload goods from trucks to earn some money especially in this fasting period.”

Abdullahi Bala, 31, is one of the many youths in the camp that offloads goods at the Farin Gada market. According to him, “I usually make N400 to N500 per day and on a good day I make up to N1,000, whatever amount I realise I share it into two and give half to my parent and the other half I use it to satisfy my personal needs.”

On the kind of food they break their fast with, Malam Bala explained: “We usually break our fast with whatever comes our way, but we most times rely on foods like Kunu and tuwo. During Sahur (pre-dawn meal), we take the same thing, if available.”

Malama Aisha Haruna, 60, who is also the spokesperson for women in the camp added: “This indeed is a difficult time for us. By merely looking at our faces, you will know that all is not well with us. We need help, especially in this period of Ramadan,” she pleaded.

The situation in Jos is not different from that of Kaduna. “We are neglected,” were the cries of victims of the post-election violence that are now taking refuge at the Hajj Transit Camp within the state capital.  Women and men, young and old, orphans and widows at the camp are accusing the Kaduna State Government of indifference to their plight. “Since we were brought here about four months ago, the Kaduna State Government has not done anything serious to better our lot,” one Alhaji Ibrahim Yaro said.

Yaro’s statement typifies what a cross-section of displaced persons told Weekly Trust during a visit to the camp last Monday. According to him, they have been relying on religious bodies for food, clothing and other basic needs even during this Ramadan. “We are tired of staying here but what can I do when our loved ones and property have been lost and the government seems not to be concerned about our plight.” For them to leave the camp, he begged the state government to rebuild their houses, pay compensation and provide adequate security in all villages prone to the crisis.

Like Yaro, Secretary of Sarkin Hausawa, Zonkwa, Alhaji Sani Uba accused the state government of neglect. “Government only brought relief materials immediately after the crisis and since then they have abandoned us. Over 100 persons are living in a hall. Many of our children are no longer in school and those that paid for the Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) could not even write it. We want to go back to our houses but we can’t because of the security situation. A permanent security measure should be put in place in Southern Kaduna in order to forestall a recurrence. There is also an urgent need for government to pay compensation,” he said.

Alhaji Uba called for the arrest and prosecution of all those who perpetrated the post-election riots in order to serve as deterrent to those who are nursing similar intentions. While blaming politicians for the crisis, he urged government to urgently address the problem of unemployment. “Tribal, religious or whatever differences aside, irrespective of our differences, we must learn to live together because we are meant to,” he said. According to him, they turned down Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa’s house rent gesture because it was too small to secure accommodation even at the remotest area of the state.

For Aisha Ibrahim who lost her husband to the crisis, her major worries are how to start a new life again and enrol her children back in school. “I’m tired of living here. We widows number about 130 and our children totalling 300, are living in one hall. Government should please drop any sentiments and come to our rescue. We widows want capital to start business in addition to accommodation so that we can be able to see to the education and other needs of our children who are now orphans due to reasons they do not understand,” she stressed.

A beneficiary of Yakowa’s rent gesture, Mohammed Lawal said he is still staying at the camp because he could not secure accommodation with the N15,000 he collected from the state government. “Yes I collected N15,000 but all the places I went to in search of residence, the cheapest accommodation I got was for N40,000 for me, my two wives and eight children. In fact, I have since spent the money,” he said.

It was gathered that the teachers’ population has dropped from 32 at the start to 22 even as the number of the students grow by the day. The learning materials donated by an elder statesman, Alhaji Lema Jibril during the commencement of the classes have been exhausted thereby compounding the situation. Speaking to Weekly Trust, Chairman, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) education committee, Mallam Jibrin Suleiman Zakirai said if nobody comes to their aid, they will close the classes, saying they have been funding it for the past 106 days.  For the sustenance of the class, Zakirai said they needed about N150,000 monthly.

Meanwhile, in reaction, Kaduna’s Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Saidu Adamu, faulted the claims, saying the state government has been kind to refugees. “We are having 34 camps and the state government distributed a lot of food items to them through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). When the relief committee, which I chaired, was constituted by the state governor, we just continued from where they stopped.”

Adamu continued: “A lot of them collected the little amount of money given to them as rent. And before we gave them that amount, we had to conduct a survey to see how much a person needs for a one room accommodation in outskirts of the state, like Rigasa. We knew that these people came from villages and we don’t expect someone that came from the village to think of staying in Kaduna metropolis, knowing it’s going to be expensive for them. So the rent we gave them was not for them to secure accommodation on Ahmadu Bello way or inside the GRA.”

Even though the IDPs are making efforts to improve their lives under the difficult circumstances, some things still had to give in to collapse. One of such is their effort to keep educational pursuits alive. Weeks after the displaced persons were taken to the camp, a group of educationists among them, with support from others outside the camp put together a class to provide both Western and Islamic lessons for the 833 displaced children. Lack of funds and learning materials are threatening them now.

On her side, Jummai Abdullahi, who put to bed at the camp, said they are still waiting for the assistance of the Governor Yakowa.  “Immediately after the crisis, he visited us and promised to assist us, but four months after, we are still waiting for him,” she said.