FG Declares Nutritional Emergency in Borno IDP Camps to Avoid More Deaths

In response to recent reports of starvation at many camps for the internally displaced persons (IDP) in Borno state, the federal government on Friday declared a nutritional emergency in Borno state and mobilised a rapid response team to coordinate efforts to ameliorate the situation.

Punch reports that the rapid response team is also to look into ways of providing care for the increasing number of displaced persons at the camps, including hundreds of citizens recently rescued from Boko Haram strongholds by the Nigerian Army.

Senior special assistant to the vice-president on media and publicity, Mr Laolu Akande, in a statement on Friday said the federal government was determined to bring relief to the rescued hostages and has conducted an on-the spot assessment at the IDP camp in Bama which was most affected by starvation that led to death of up to 200 children.

Akande disclosed that the Borno rapid response team is led by the special adviser to the president on social investments, Mrs Maryam Uwais.



Describing the development as “a crisis situation,” Uwais assured them that the federal government would work with the state government, international community, local partners and civil society groups to ensure that all the needs of the IDPs were met.

The senior special assistant to the president on IDPs, Dr Mariam Masha, assured them that alongside the humanitarian work, the federal and state governments were also focusing on the longer-term programme to ensure that the reconstruction and resettlement was effectively hastened to enable the IDPs to return to their homes.

She added that as the military continues its task of liberating hitherto isolated communities from the grip of Boko Haram, the scale of the humanitarian crisis was certain to increase. She therefore called for increased support from all partners and stakeholders.