The United Nations mission in Nigeria has said that with the spread of coronavirus across the country, it is worried about the fate of one 1.8m Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, as well as eight million vulnerable people in the entire region.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr Edward Kallon, said on Sunday in a statement that the international organisation believed that camp decongestion should now be made a priority to stop the rapid spread of diseases like COVID-19 virus.
He said, “With the COVID-19 pandemic slowly spreading across the country, I am extremely worried about the 1.8 million IDPs in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states and the rest of the nearly eight million vulnerable people in these conflict-affected states.
“Camp decongestion has been a challenge, but it is now a priority. I call on all stakeholders to urgently contribute to efforts being made to decongest camps in respect of people’s rights and dignity. I have to commend the engagement of Borno State authorities and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs on this issue. It is our duty to do our utmost to protect the most vulnerable from another tragedy.”
Furthermore, the UN statement read, “Together with the state and federal authorities, UN and International Non-Governmental Organisations are working on an expansion of the IDP camps to mitigate the risk of fire incidents and the rapid spread of diseases like the COVID-19 virus.”
The UN also decried the occurrence of fire outbreaks in the IDPs camp such as at the Monguno Waterboard camp for the IDPs on April 14 and at the International Secondary School camp, Ngala, on April 16.
“At least 14 people lost their lives in the fire incident in Ngala on April 16. Fifteen others were injured, while seven are still being treated in a clinic run by aid organisations. Over 300 shelters were damaged, and a communal shelter hosting 11 families also burned down.
Kallon revealed that together with the state and federal authorities, UN and INGOs were working on an expansion of the IDP camps to mitigate the risk of fire incidents and the rapid spread of diseases like the COVID-19 virus.
