At least, 38,051 people have been displaced following attacks by herdsmen in Plateau State. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were taking refuge in 31 camps in the state.
The SEMA Director of Search and Rescue, Mrs. Julie Bala, said yesterday that the IDPs were victims of the June 23 and 24 violence involving suspected herdsmen and villagers in Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Mangu, Bokkos and Jos South local government areas. Bala said in Mangu in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that 11 camps had been set up for the 16,885 IDPs in Barkin Ladi Local Government.
She said: “In Jos South Local Government we have a total of 9,661 IDPs in Geo-Science Camps A and B, while in Riyom and Bokkos local government areas, we have 2,772 persons in four camps and 2,086 persons in six camps respectively.’’ Bala added that 6,653 persons were taking refuge in eight different camps including host communities in Mangu Local Government. According to her, each of the five local governments has a “host community’’ camp. She said: “When we say the host communities, we are talking about those relations hosting some of the affected victims in their respective houses.’’
The director said that SEMA had distributed relief materials in the various camps with the exception of those at Farin Lamba in Riyom, Mangun and COCIN Ranpiya in Mangu. On the exact number of men, women and children in the various camps, the official said that the agency had not completed the profiling of the IDPs.