A devastating flood in Maiduguri, Borno State, has left thousands of people displaced and seeking refuge in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. However, the situation has been further complicated by allegations of rape and theft by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) and non-victims seeking to benefit from food palliatives.
At the Bakkasi IDP camp, victims reported that two people died in a stampede while trying to collect food, and that their women were being raped by JTF members who also took their food and gave it to their friends and girlfriends. The victims emphasized that their greatest need is food, and many residents who were not affected by the flood have found their way into the camp to benefit from the palliatives.
The Federal Government has attributed the flooding to the overflow of the Ngadda River, rather than the collapse of the Alau Dam, as speculated. The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr Joseph Utsev, promised to provide sanitation kits and water treatment facilities to displaced persons and warned of potential flooding in the Niger Delta region and other southern states.
Vanguard.
