Dozens of the victims of Boko Haram insurgency in Hadejia, Jigawa, have resorted to street begging in order to survive, the News Agency of Nigeria , reports.
reports that the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), including women and children, were seen roaming the streets, offices and market places in the area begging for alms.
Checks by showed that most of the IDPs were taking shelter in unoccupied stalls at Hadejia market due to lack of an approved camp in the area.
Some of the IDPs, who hitherto took refuge in Hadejia, had however, relocated to their homes due to improved security in Yobe and Borno.
also reports that though the population of the IDPs in Hadejia has decreased, their activities have continued to constitute public nuisance.
Hadiza Bukar, one of the IDPs stated she was forced to beg to get what to eat and feed her three children.
Bukar stated she fled to Hadejia after the insurgents sacked their village in Damasak, Yobe.
Another IDP, Yagana Modu, stated she could not locate her family since the insurgents attacked her home at Geidam area of Yobe.
Modu stated that she was evacuated to Hadejia by a Good Samaritan along with hundreds of other women and young children who survived the attack.
She added that they had not been receiving assistance from the government or any organization since they moved to the town two years ago.
“I am surviving on alms, I do not like the idea, but begging is my last option, the people are generous and they support us,” she stated.
Alhaji Haruna Amadu, a resident of Hadejia, described the condition of the IDPs as “pathetic”.
Amadu stated that the IDPs were living under terrible conditions which exposed them to so many difficulties.
He stated in spite of the alms and food the IDPs get from the locals, it was necessary for government offer them succour.
“There is a need for serious government intervention toward improving the plight of the IDPs” he stated.
He also called on organizations and wealthy individuals to support the IDPs to improve their living condition.
An official of Hadejia Local Government Council, who spoke under condition of anonymity, stated that the state government had conducted need assessment and head count of IDPs with a view to assisting them soon.
He stated that the state government had also provided transportation to Jigawa indigenes among the IDPs to enable them reunite with their families.
As stated by him, some state governments had also evacuated their people among the IDPs in the area.
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