Four women have given birth to seven children in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The Chairman of Mararaban Kajuru IDPs Camp, Mr Alipiri Ado said in Maraban Kajuru on Thursday that one of the women gave birth to triplets while another was delivered of twins.
Ado also said that two other women gave birth to one child each, adding that there are about 100 pregnant women across six camps in the area, with more than 2,000 under-five children.
A NAN correspondent who was at the camp along with a group under the aegis of Giving for a Just Cause, reports that there were about 300 children under five years and more than 150 women in the camp.
The IDPs, including the 300 children, were crowded in a two-bedroom apartment with only two mobile toilets with no water facility, predisposing them to diseases due to poor sanitation and hygiene.
Some IDPs at Mararaban Kajuru IDP Camp
Ado, who confirmed the absence of water supply in the camp, however said that there was a dry well in the camp, adding that the only source of water is from neighbouring houses.
“We need water supply because we don’t know for how long the neighbours will allow the IDPs to be fetching water in their houses.
“Not only that, the space is too small and sleeping materials. Only a few sleeps on available mattresses while the majority sleep on bare floor, including the children,” he added.
Mrs Dorcas Dodo, the Coordinator, Giving for a Just Cause, had earlier explained that she was in the camp to donate relief materials polled together by concern citizens that were reached through a WhatsApp group chart.
“About a month ago, a woman from Maro Village came to my house looking for help. She told me that her house was destroyed by gunmen that attacked a number of villages in Kajuru LGA in February.
“We rented a house for her in Narayi, Kaduna metropolis, and got a job for her husband. But we then decided to extend it to the larger IDPs community instead of just settling with one person.
“I decided to set up a WhatsApp group for people to willingly donate in cash or in kind under the name Giving for Just Cause.
“People from Maiduguri, Jos, Abuja and other parts of the country contributed money, clothes, food items, sanitary items, soap and shoes, among others.
“We are here to distribute the items in collaboration with an NGO, Kishimi Shelter and Care Foundation,” she said.
For the mother of the triplets, the group donated wrappers, clothes for the babies, pampers, beverages and other items to support the mother in taking care of them.
“I was so impressed with the way people responded to the call for assistance and I can confidently say that Nigerians have a good heart: all we need is to be charted toward the right cause.
“I am calling on the government to do something quick to address the terrible condition of the camp and support the IDPs to rebuild their houses and go back home,” Ado said.
On her part, Mrs Grace Samuel, the Executive Director, Kishimi Shelter and Care Foundation, called on the IDPs to learn to forgive whoever wrongs them.
According to her, only a forgiven heart finds peace, adding that peace and unity will reign only if we forgive one another.
“Our head office is in Gombe state and we have been working with IDPs for the past 10 years reaching out people in need of help.
“The government need to do something urgently to take care of the IDPs. As you can see this space is too small to accommodate over 150 people with about 300 children.
“Let us try to avoid a situation where people survived an attack only to be confronted with diseases at IDPs camp due to poor sanitation and hygiene,” she urged.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Council, Mr James Jagjum, told NAN that there were about 8,000 IDPs in eight camps across Chikun, Kajuru and Kachia LGAs.
“We have a camp at Sabon Tasha, Chikun LGA, a camp at Kasuwan Magani, Iburu, Mararaban Kajuru, Kufana, Makyali and Idon, all in Kajuru LGA and another one at Crossing, Kachia LGA.
“What we are planning to do is to collapse all the five camps within Kajuru LGA into a single camp to be sited at Mararaban Kajuru so we can adequately take good care of them.
“We are expecting assistance from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in the form of building materials.
“What we want to do is to accommodate only those that their houses were burnt down or destroyed because there are others whose houses were not destroyed, but in the camp out of fear of being attack,” Jagjum said.
He said that those that were directly affected would be given identification cards and would be profiled according to sex, age and communities for easy management. (NAN)
