• From Ruth Agada,  Makurdi

 

  • The Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp at the International Market on Shuluwa Road, Makurdi is in disarray over serious food shortage.
  • The inmates are victims of the Benue floods that have displaced over 120,000 persons in the past six days.
  • As at Saturday afternoon,  the thousands of persons that live in the market stalls had problems with inadequate food supply as the Red Cross and government intervention agencies dished out food they described as poor to them.
  • The lunch of rice shared to them in take-away packs,  according to the IDPs, could not go round.
  • At about 4:25pm, there was hope raiser as three Hillux pick up vans arrived the camp from Abuja with food supply.
  • But the excitement sank again as the trucks the IDPs had been told were five came short of the expectation.
  • Moreover,while they had expected each pick up to deliver 25 bags of rice, two of them delivered 18 and 19 bags instead with the third having the expected quantity.
  • An informed inmate spoken to said they were not given any reasons for the short supply.
  • However, an agent of the federal government simply identified as Mrs. Terte assured they will communicate to the internally displaced people on phone on how to distribute the rice so far delivered.
  • At an interactive with Red Cross officials,  they also complianed of inadequacy of basic needs even as our reporter found that the IDPs sleep on bare floor at the shops of the market and supplies have not been encouraging
  • They raised fears for outbreak of diseases due to the poor living conditions even as the situation of things don’t give hope for an early return to their homes as floods are yet to recede.