Group seeks assistance to flood victims, wants safe IDP camps

Agency reports,

Executive Director of Connected Development (CODE), Ambassador Hamzat Lawal, has called on government, private organisations and other public spirited individuals to come to the aid of those displaced by ravaging floods in Kogi State and other parts of the country.

Lawal spoke in Lokoja during the presentation of items to flood victims at the Gadumo Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp. Represented by Umar Dan Asebe Mohammed at the distribution point, Lawal noted that government and private individuals must come to the aid of the people who are in critical need.

He stressed that government must provide adequate security at the IDP camps to prevent hoodlums from invading the camps as witnessed during the intervention provided by the organisation.

Hamza said a situation where touts could move freely into the camps to deprive legitimate flood victims of what was provided by government agencies, private organisations and individuals was not healthy.

Earlier, Executive Director of the facilitating organisation, Renaissance Care and Empowerment Foundation (RECEF), Ambassador Idris Ozovehe Muraina, said there were over 500, 000 thousand persons displaced by the flood in Kogi State by their assessment, saying that only a very negligible number was accommodated in the camps visited.

While commending government for providing security in some of the camps visited, Muraina however, frowned on the near absence of security at the Gadumo IDP camp, making it possible for hoodlums to have free access to the place.

Some victims: Mr. Alexander Amana and Mrs. Monica Agbaja commended RECEF and its partner for the timely intervention, saying that the Gadumo camp was almost forgotten until the NGO’s waded in.

Also, the State Coordinator Association for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Nigeria (AONN), Mrs. Henry Hellen commended the organisations for assisting the vulnerable twins whose mother died during the flood.

She lamented that some children have been orphaned by the flood in Kogi State and called for more assistance. The programme Manager of RECEF, Ikechukwu Mpama , while thanking CODE for the intervention, stressed the need for government to wade in, saying that there is very little private organisations can do, owing to the magnitude of the devastation.