The Founder and Coordinator of Internally Displaced Centre, Home of the Needy, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, has raised the alarm over what he described as overwhelming pressure on the facility following mounting pressure to admit more displaced persons fleeing terrorist attacks and violent invasions across several states in the country.
Folorunsho disclosed on Sunday that the centre, which has over the years accommodated victims of insurgency from Borno, Plateau and Kebbi states, is now battling fresh requests from displaced families escaping attacks in Katsina and other parts of the country.
According to him, worsening insecurity and the silent occupation of rural communities by armed groups have continued to push helpless families into displacement with little attention from authorities.
Speaking on the growing humanitarian burden confronting the camp, the cleric lamented that the facility no longer has adequate space and resources to absorb the increasing number of victims seeking refuge. “People from Katsina are calling us every day asking to come to our centre, but where are we going to keep them?” he asked.
He warned that insurgency and violent attacks have spread beyond the North-East region into states including Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, Oyo and Ekiti, stressing that many killings and displacements occurring in rural communities are not being reported.
“Communities in Plateau and parts of the North-East are still being occupied. People are displaced daily, and nobody is talking about it,” he lamented.
Folorunsho further narrated the ordeal of a widow supported by the centre through farming assistance, whose entire harvest was carted away by terrorists after invading the farmland.
“One widow we supported in farming lost everything after terrorists attacked the farm and killed people there,” he said, describing the incident as part of the harsh realities confronting displaced families trying to rebuild their lives.
The cleric said the centre has now shifted attention towards agricultural settlement and food production initiatives as a long-term response to the crisis.
He revealed that land had been secured around the Kwali Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory to enable displaced persons to engage in farming and become self-reliant, adding that some families have already been settled in rented homes across villages with access to farmland.
Appealing for urgent intervention, Folorunsho called on corporate organisations, donor agencies and well-meaning Nigerians to support the centre with toiletries, sanitary pads, mattresses and educational materials for displaced children.
“We need help. We need soap, sanitary pads, mattresses and support for the education of these children. We have proven our integrity, and we want corporate bodies to partner with us,” he said.
