By Wilson Adekumola
Some of the Internally Displaced Persons in Zamfara State have lamented their situation saying that they now roam the streets to beg for alms to eke out a livelihood since the government has abandoned them.
The IDPs who were mainly women and children made this known while speaking with newsmen in Gusau, the state capital.
They lamented that they were starving and could not get other essential commodities in the camps.
According to them, they now serve food at restaurants even though they are not paid well but do not have a choice.
They explained that the state government no longer show concern for their welfare and has refused to take care of them as promised.
“Since we have no other means of livelihood, the only option left for us is to roam the streets and beg for alms to fend for ourselves and our children”, some of the women said.
One of the women, who identified herself as Amina Ahmed said she lost her husband when the bandits attacked her village in Zurmi Local Government Area of the state.
She disclosed that only God helped her escape to Gusau, the State capital with her three little children who are now facing the consequences of what they never dreamt of.
Meanwhile, the news of the unfortunate development caught the attention of journalists who paid visit to a popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Umar Mohammad Kanoma for his comments.
Kanoma said the state should be made to understand that the Internally Displaced Persons are its property and should be treated properly.
He then criticized the government for being negligent of its responsibility to displaced people.
The Islamic scholar said he felt the their pains, hence taking it upon himself to distribute food items to the victims of banditry every Friday for them to survive.
He urged wealthy individuals to come to their aid considering their economic challenges, saying that they ran away from their various homes and communities because of banditry.
Reports revealed that some of the IDP camps in Gusau were empty as many IDPs have abandoned the camps in search of livelihoods.
At the state ministry for Social Welfare and Community Development, the Commissioner could not be reached but a Director in the ministry who pleaded anonymity admitted that the IDPS were not being properly fed as it was supposed to be.
“We, in the ministry cannot do anything because the situation has gone beyond our power and we cannot stop anybody from finding a way of feeding his or herself and their children”
