The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has said that five babies were delivered at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp at Kalambaina, Sokoto, between May 7 and 9.

The NEMA Assistant Head, Sokoto Zonal Operations Office, Thickman Tanimu, made this known to journalists in Sokoto on Sunday.

Mr. Tanimu said that of the five new babies, three were girls, while two were boys.

He said two were delivered on May 7 while on transit to Sokoto, two on May 8 and one on May 9, adding the mothers and children were hale and hearty.

The official said 2,000 displaced persons, including the new babies, were evacuated by the agency from Geidam in Yobe on Wednesday, May 6 to Sokoto. He said nearly 80 per cent of the affected people were from Kebbi, while the rest were from Sokoto State.

“They were earlier displaced due to insurgent activities in Doron-Baga in Borno and they fled to Gegeme in Difa state, Niger Republic as refugees.

“However, they were also unfortunately deported back to Geidam in Yobe state after an insurgent attack at their IDPs camp in Niger Republic.

“It was from Geidam that the IDP’s were screened by NEMA and security agencies, and the agency evacuated them to Sokoto,’’ Tanimu said.

He said that the affected persons from Sokoto State had almost been evacuated by the state government to their various towns and villages across the 23 local governments of the state.

Mr. Tanimu, however, expressed regrets that the IDPs from Kebbi at the camp were reportedly “disowned” by Governor Saidu Dakingari.

The Kebbi governor was quoted as saying that the IDPs from his state were not indigenes of the state and may be insurgents. He had also reportedly set up a committee to screen the IDPs from the state at the Sokoto camp before evacuating them.

The Executive Secretary of the Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Chindo Jega, said that arrangements were being made to evacuate the victims to Kebbi.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tanimu said that NEMA was providing food items, blankets, rubber mats, water and other essential needs to the displaced persons.

He also commended Governor Aliyu Wamakko for donating clothing materials and money to all the 2000 IDPs at the camp, apart from providing the camp.

The Medicisins Sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders-MSF), has provided temporary toilet facilities, medicare and a water tank at the camp.

Various security agencies, especially the police and officials of the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps were seen providing tight security at the camp.

A cross section of the affected people said their major need was to be evacuated to their state to be reunited with our families.

Nafisa Awwal, 20, from Zauro and Mohammed Tukur, 30, from Kamba, said that “we also want financial assistance to enable us restart our businesses to earn decent living.”

The Boko Haram insurgency in northern Nigeria has caused the death of thousands of people and displacement of almost a million others.

(NAN)