BY ZARA ABDULRAHMAN, OCTOBER, 11, 2024 | 12:11PM

The devastating flood that ravaged Maiduguri on September 10, 2024, has left thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) struggling to survive.

The Tashan Bama camp, established in the aftermath, has become a testament to the resilience of humanity.

Camp profile

According to Toyin Giwa, monitoring evaluation person for BOAID foundation and a member of the camp management team, the camp's population comprises 2,973 IDPs from Fori, Gidan Dambe, College, London Ciki, Gwange, and Gomari areas. The IDPs include:

  • Children under 1 year: 158 males, 198 females

  • Children 1-12 years: 358 males, 490 females

  • Teenagers 13-17 years: 202 males, 732 females

  • Adults 18-59 years: 160 males, 557 females

  • Elderly 60 and above: 24 males, 94 females

Challenges faced by IDPs

Fatima Yakubu, assistant leader of one of the camp's groups, shared her experience.

'I have been in this camp from the very first day of the flood, and food interventions do come, but not everyone gets it. I received cooked food in takeaways only once from an individual intervention, and that was more than two weeks ago. Two of the kids in our class also fell sick,' she said.

Amina Usman recounted her struggles, 'I didn't even get the cooked food in takeaways. Raw food intervention came, but intruders took over, created chaos, and fought for the food. We were given food distribution cards for raw food, but we didn't receive any yet,' she said.

Aisha Usman expressed frustration over inconsistent support.

'Money was distributed a few times, but it was inconsistent – N10,000, N5,000, N2,000, and even N1,000. Not everyone got it. Our leader fell sick, along with two other kids, and they only received paracetamol,' she said.

Amal Mustapha described the chaotic food distribution, 'The people in charge distributed spaghetti mostly to women and said the rice would be for men. Around evening, they started the distribution for rice and were chasing other people. But people got angry and started hijacking everything forcefully, which later broke into a fight,' she said.

An anonymous source revealed a disturbing allegation, 'The person in charge of food distribution reduced the quantity of food from the beginning for his personal interest and then intentionally made people angry, which made the whole thing unorganized, and people hijacked the whole process.

'That way, there will be no records of the number of people that got the food plus the number of food items initially to be distributed,' she said.

Efforts to improve conditions

Toyin Giwa emphasized BOAID's efforts to improve hygiene, with 28 volunteers working closely with BOSEPA to maintain cleanliness.

'We are working hard to ensure the camp remains clean and safe for everyone,' Giwa said.

Baba Kaka Wapi, camp vocal person for BOAID, acknowledged the support of Women in New Nigeria, an NGO led by Lucy Dilama, targeting 100 lactating mothers and pregnant women for NFI support.

'We appreciate the support from Women in New Nigeria, but more assistance is needed,' he said.

Wapi further disclosed, 'There has been no food intervention from the government. The only food intervention that came took place in FGC, a school close to the camp, which we were not aware of initially,' he added.

Call for assistance

The IDPs and camp management urge the government to provide assistance, as hunger threatens their survival.

As Toyin Giwa emphasized, 'Dignity kits for women are urgently needed to ensure their safety.'

Muhammad Adamu, overall Civilian JTF for Mairi and overseer of the camp, stressed, 'We ensure women and men are in separate rooms, even married couples cannot stay together. We control who enters and exits the camp and monitor visitors.

'Securing the school was challenging due to the influx of people. The government's notice to close informal camps and relocate IDPs to official camps, specifically Dalori camp, was not communicated to us,' he noted.

The international community must rally to support the IDPs, providing essential aid and ensuring their dignity and well-being.

The plight of Tashan Bama camp's residents echoes the cries of thousands affected by the flood.

Their resilience in the face of adversity serves as tastement to the human spirit.

However, immediate action is necessary to address the pressing needs of these IDPs.

The people of this camp and beyond await assistance, their voices pleading for help in the midst of devastation.

This is a developing story, and updates will follow as more information becomes available.