The National Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday revealed that it has not given any approval for the establishment of camps for internally displaced persons in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
The Director General of NEMA, Mallam Muhammadu Sani-Sidi, made the disclosure while answering questions from journalists in Abuja.
Sani-Sidi pointed out that NEMA has only established IDPs camps in states that are affected by insurgency.
His words: “We have established camps in Gombe, Adamawa and Borno.
“These are states in the North East.
“You hear some people saying they come from Gwoza.
“I believe you know the distance from Gwoza to Abuja.
“They did not stop anywhere in any state in the North East, only to come to Abuja, the most expensive city, to be IDPs.”
Sani-Sidi stated further that when the crisis of the insurgency began, NEMA gave approval for the establishment of humanitarian cells within the Joint Military Task Force locations to be able to respond to humanitarian crisis that might arise.
The DG said when the agency got information that there were people who were IDPs from Gwoza in Borno State living in Abuja as IDPs, the NEMA zonal coordinator in Abuja was sent to find out where they were and where they came from.
According to him: “I must tell you that there is no formal camps of IDPs in Abuja.
“There is no formal settlement that the government has settled these people as IDPs.
“These people were staying in certain communities in certain uncompleted buildings, in remote areas and there is no formal camp established in Abuja.
“If you establish a camp, you need to provide security, you need to register those people that are in the camp to avoid a situation where some bad eggs will go in as IDPs and later turn to unleashing attack on innocent people.
“So, you have to be very careful because of the sensitivity of Abuja city.
“We have many people saying they come from this place or that place, but our argument has always been that we have formal camps that have been established by government in the affected states in the North East.
“Let these people go back, let them be registered to know who and who are IDPs and where they come from and then it is our responsibility to cater for you.
“There are situations where you bring relief materials and people who are even Okada riders are also IDPs. So who really is the IDP?”
Sani-Sidi pointed out that NEMA, at the moment, has camps only in Adamawa and Borno States.
He said there is no formal camp in Yobe State, noting that the state government encouraged communities to assimilate internally displaced persons in their midst.
His words: “That is very good because camp is not a good thing; there are associated risks in the camp. They could be attacked.”
The DG revealed that there are about 130,000 IDPs in Yobe State alone, stressing that the highest number of IDPs are in Borno State.
He added that NEMA, at present, is catering for about 1.4 million IDPs in various camps scattered in Adamawa and Borno States.
The DG listed the various challenges facing NEMA to include lack of coordination, inadequate funding of state emergency management agencies, lack of cooperation among the various disaster management agencies and lack of capability in those agencies to carry out its activities.