The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Friday donated relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by the recent communal clash in Bwari, FCT.
Mr Bitrus Samuel, Head of the Abuja Area Office of NEMA, who led other executive members of the organisation, presented the materials to 400 persons affected by the clash.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that items donated included 50 gallons of 10 litres of palm oil, 50 gallons of 20 litres of groundnut oil and 500 pieces of mosquito nets.
Others were 15 cartons of Lux soap, 500 nylon mats, 15 bags of salt, 10 cartons of milk, 15 bags of sugar, 10 cartons of Milo and 500 pieces of blankets.
Also donated were 100 50kg bags of rice, 50 100kg bags of beans, 15 bags of Omo detergent and 50 100kg bags of maize.
According to Samuel, the donation is based on the unfortunate incidence that occurred on Christmas day to enable affected persons recover from the situation.
Samuel said: “We understand some displaced persons had taken refuge at the Army barracks for fear of a renewed attack. This is why we did this to support the council.
“This is not compensation; it is just to provide succour in line with what the council authority had already done, to help relieve the displaced persons of psychological trauma.
“This is strictly for those people who were displaced as a result of the communal clash.
“An impact assessment is ongoing to ascertain the level where we will do a detailed assessment, in order to provide relief for the traders whose shops were affected.”
The Chairman of Bwari Area Council, Mr Musa Dikko, thanked the agency for the donation, which he described as apt for the displaced persons.
Dikko promised to leave no stone unturned to ensure equitable distribution of the relief items only to persons that were earlier registered at the Army camp.
He said that there were no more displaced persons camp anywhere in the area, because effort had been made to return them home and normalcy gradually restored in the community.
“We want to thank you for coming even before you got our call, this shows that positive change is in place.
“We want to assure you God will reward you for this love you have shown us since the day of this ugly incidence.
“We also want to assure of our cooperation, we will duly deliver the items specifically to only those that were affected,” he said.
He revealed the plans to attend to traders whose shops were also affected through establishment of a committee to improve on this gesture and give them relief items.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Antonia Chinelo, commended the agency for the gesture, saying that the relief items will help her family begin a new lease of life.
“I sincerely thank NEMA and the Bwari area council for the provision of these items, which for us is a show of love,” she said. (NAN)
