The damages done by the Fulani herdsmen in their onslaught in Plateau State is creating fresh burdens for the State Government which now has to contend with the rising population of Internally Displace Persons (IDPs) driven from their homes and ancestral habitations.
National Daily learnt that Julie Bala, Director of Search and Rescue, Plateau State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in Mangu, revealed that the Agency built 11 camps to resettle 16, 885 IDPs in Barkin Ladi Local Government.
The SEMA Director in Plateau further disclosed that aggregate of 38,051 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are distributed in different resettlement sites in 31 camps across Plateau State after the recent Fulani herdsmen massacre in the state.
Julie Bala had narrated that the IDPs were victims of the June 23 and June 24 onslaught by Fulani herdsmen who invaded rural communities in Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Mangu, Bokkos and Jos South local government areas.
The Plateau SEMA Director had highlighted: “In Jos South Local Government, we have a total of 9, 661 IDPs in Geo-Science Camps A and B, while in Riyom and Bokkos LGAs, we have 2, 772 persons in four camps and 2, 086 persons in six camps respectively.”
She added that 6, 653 persons are currently taking refuge in eight other different camps, including host communities in Mangu Local Government. She disclosed that each of the five local governments has a “host community’’ camp.
The Director explained: “When we say the host communities, we are talking about those relations hosting some of the affected victims in their respective houses.” She also disclosed that SEMA had distributed relief materials in the various camps, except the camps at Farin Lamba in Riyom, Mangu and COCIN Ranpiya.
The Director remarked that the Agency is still working on the data of the IDPs to ascertain the distributive population of men, women and children in the various camps.