NIGERIA. Borno State: A fire that ravaged the Muna El-Badawy Internally Displaced Persons Camp (IDPC) in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, killed three people and destroyed 3,000 IDPs.
Hajiya Yabawa Kolo, the Director-General of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, voiced his displeasure with the current spate of fire accidents in IDP camps.
Kolo went on to say that not long ago, similar fire occurrences were reported in Ngirburi Village, Jere Local Government Area, where two people died. Another incident occurred at the Mandarari IDP camp in the Konduga Local Government Area.
“However, lives, animals, and food have been lost as a result of the frequent incidence of fire in IDPs camps and families, thus something must be done to put an end to the heinous incident,” Kolo said.
As a result, Kolo appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Northeast Development Commission, and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development to assist the poor and IDPs.
Sadiya Umar Farouq, Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, expressed his condolences to the Borno state administration, the victims’ families, and their loved ones.
Farouq made the announcement in Abuja through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali. As a result, she prays for those who have lost their lives as a result of the fires and for God to soothe their loved ones.
Farouq, on the other hand, has asked NEMA to rush to the aid of the afflicted people by giving relief materials and food while an assessment is carried out to determine the origin of the fire and the number of victims.
“The constant fire incidents in IDP camps in recent times is something that required adequate investigation to ascertain the reason behind it and to also profound lasting solution to it,” Farouq noted.
Farouq further urged the federal government, state governments, and other relevant agencies to assist the IDPs in order to protect the safety of people’s lives and property, as well as to prevent similar occurrences.
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