By Ijeoma Obioma in Makurdi.
The Victims Support Fund (VSF) has expressed worry over the deplorable condition of shelters at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Anyiin in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The Chairperson of VSF, Barr Toyosi Akerele, who became emotional as tears dropped from her eyes on sighting the pitiable condition of the IDPs at Anyiin yesterday, said that the camp was not befitting of human habitation.
Akerele, whose emotion betrayed her when she led the VSF team to distribute food items to 1000 families at the camp, stressed that the environment was not fit for human beings to live in.
“There are IDP camps in Guma, Gwer West and other places. But Logo here is very worrisome and heartbreaking, citizens like us going through this sort us deplorable condition,” she said,amid tears.
The VSF head, therefore, called on international development partners, well meaning individuals and organizations to emulate the Chairman of VSF, General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) to come to the aid of the people of Benue State, adding that they needed more help.
“It’s very important for us to only function within the ambit of our meagre resources as an institution. That’s why we need more Nigerians who are like General TY Danjuma, who have the privilege and use it for the benefit of the common man on the street. Here in Logo, there are 5,000 IDPs but we are only able to support a thousand of them,” she added.
Akerele lamented that the sustained attacks on Sankera axis comprising Ukum, Katsina-Ala and Logo LGAs,where the main yam producers came from, had affected Benue State as the Food Basket of Nigeria “which was why the country is suffering acute food shortage.”
She emphasised that, “The entire nation is feeling the pain of Benue people.
“Benue, as a food basket, it is really depressing for a state where people are known to be great farmers, Zaki-Biam is known to be the depot of yam in the whole of Africa.
“See how expensive food commodities have become, you can see the double digit inflation rate in terms of food commodities, because Benue and Taraba States are under attack.”
Meanwhile, beneficiaries of the food items such as, Tabitha Shinwar, from Mbagber community and Gabriel Mbayev, from Ukemberagya community both of Logo LGA, narrated that it had not been easy for them to survive with their families as a result of the displacement.
They said that apart from VSF, they had not benefited any intervention from other organisations in the past two years.
“Other people, including politicians, used to support us with something in the past years but for the last two years, it’s only VSF that has been coming. We need help because we are really suffering,” they cried out.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
