BENUE State government has flagged off the distribution of essential food items, ahead of the Christmas celebrations, to over 1,597,000 Internally Displace Persons, IDPs, in several official and unofficial camps located across the state.

Performing the exercise at the premises of the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, in Makurdi on behalf of Governor Samuel Ortom, the Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr. Emmanuel Shior, lamented that the state government was struggling with the huge burden of providing for the IDPs.

He explained that a total of 4,800 bags of rice, about 3,000 cartoons of Noddles, 200 cans of five litres palm oil and 300 bags of salt would be distributed to the IDPs for now. He disclosed that the IDPs would also received intervention from an NGO, the Church of Christ of the Latter Days Saints who brought in bags of rice and garri for distribution in the various camps. According to him: “We are taking the food intervention to the camps in Abagena, Daudu 1 and 3, Uikpam, Gbajimba and Anyiin including the newly created camp in Gbajimba opposite Government Science School, known as Gbajimba 2, Guma Local Government Area, LGA.

“We are also going to Ortese, Udei also in Guma LGA. We will reach Gwer West LGA where we have three camps in Naka, Aondona and Agagbe. We have also sent the food items to the camps in Kwande LGA. We hope that we will expand and reach out to other areas because we have IDPs in Agatu LGA and we have some of them that were recently displaced in part of Otukpo LGA as well.”
Vanguard