Niger insecurity: Sigh of relief as NGO distributes relief materials to over 1,000 IDPs

As number of Internally .Displaced People (IDPs) soars across communities in Niger state as a result of continued Gunmen attacks, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Society for Alleviation of Rural Poverty and Integration of Peaceful co-existence (SARPIC), has distributed relief items worth hundreds of thousands to over 1,000 IDPs in Shiroro local government area of the state.

The beneficiaries are among the over 4,000 Displaced People currently taking shelters at the Government Day Secondary School in Zumba, Shiroro local government area of the state.Recalled that Shiroro local government is one of the epic centers of Gunmen attacks with eight out of the 15 political wards under the control of the Gunmen with attendant lose of lives and properties in the last six years.

There are well over 10,000 Displaced People across four different camps in the local government who are in desperately need of relief materials as they struggle to cope in their new environment.

However it was a moment of relief as the NGO led by it founder, Arc. John Agmada Bawa, MNIA, visited two camps in Zumba to distribute relief items to these victims which included women and children.SARPIC is a community based NGO currently in Niger state with a mission to build a cycle of love and support-based around those in distress and those in need.

Arc. Bawa while speaking with newsmen shortly after distributing the items which include cloths and food stuff, explained that the intervention was through the organisation’s Community Resilience Action Through the Provisions of Livelihood Support project with a target to reach out to over 3,000 IDPs in the state.

He listed the items distributed to include clothing, foodstuff, health outreach, formal education and entrepreneurship training, stressing that “This intervention is for victims of insurgency displaced from their homes and communities. We solicitedsupport from our friends, individuals, sympathizers and corporate organizations to ameliorate the plight of these IDPs.What we are doing is service to humanity and to God, and we pray God will bring an end to this spate of terror on Nigeria some day. We have items such as clothes, shoes, bags and other household items for victims who obviously fled the attacks for survival, they lost family members, friends, clothes, shoes, homes, food and everything. They are sickly.” he added..

He disclosed that subsequent intervention will mainly be for distribution of food items, medical interventions, entrepreneurship training and possible granting of scholarships to bright children who had dropped out of school to return to school.

Responding, Malam Umaru Aliyu, District Head (Hakimi) of Galadima-kogo, appreciated SARPIC and the individuals who contributed for coming to their aid with therelief items to reduce their sufferings.

Also, Abdullahi Adamu, a victim from Galadima-kogo, while narrating his ordeal, said the bandits killed his son, burnt his brother alive, slaughtered his nephew, burnt down his house and food stuffs during the attacks on their community.

He prayed for and commended the organisation for the gesture and succour to them and for an end to terrorism in the area to enable them return to their homes and continue with their farm activities.

Another victim, Rabi Musa, said she trekked from Galadima-Kogo to the camp that night, which is about 30KM without shoes as the bandits invaded their community shooting sporadically, killing and burning down their property, adding that SARPIC is the first NGO to come to their aid since they havebeen at the IDPs camp for three months now.