By Correspondent in Minna.
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Society for Alleviation of Rural Poverty and Integration of Peaceful co-existence (SARPIC), has distributed relief items to over 1,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Shiroro Local Governnent Area of Niger state.
The Founder of the NGO, John Agmada Bawa, said the gesture was part of measures to reach out to the helpless and the needy in the state, particularly the IDPs who were forced out of their ancestral homes by armed bandits.
Bawa, who led other members of the NGO to distribute the items, including clothing materials to two IDPs camp at Government Day Secondary Schools in Shiroro,Zumba called for more support from well spirited individuals and corporate organisations to support the less privileged in the society.
SARPIC, a community-based NGO in Niger state, according to Bawa, is with a mission not only to build a cycle of love and support-based around those in distress and in need of help but also to enable them live their normal lives.
The intervention, through the NGO’s Community Resilience Action Through Provisions of Livelihood Support project, he said targeted to reach out to over 3,000 IDPs with; clothing materials, food items, health outreach, formal education and entrepreneurship training.
Bawa, in an interview shortly after the distribution said, “This intervention is for victims of insurgency displaced from their homes and communities. We are soliciting for more support from friends and corporate organisations to ameliorate the plight of the IDPs.
“Many had no food to eat or clothes to wear as they might have lost all household items, or obviously fled without personal belongings, including family members.
“Many are sick but no drugs so we are here for them. This is about service to God and humanity,”he said.
Bawa, who prayed God to end terror attacks and siege against the nation and Nigerians,someday, assured that subsequent interventions would be basically on food items, medical interventions, entrepreneurship training and possible granting of scholarships to bright children who had dropped out of school to return to school on account of the attacks.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the District Head of Galadima-kogo, Malam Umaru Aliyu expressed appreciation to SARPIC and other individuals who had contributed towards their wellbeing.
Meanwhile, some of the victims in separate interview,recalled their horrible experiences in the hand of the armed bandits, saying that such would forever linger in their memories.
They recalled that the armed bandits killed their children, burnt some of their relatives alive, slaughtered their nephews and as well, set houses and food barns ablaze when they raided their community.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
