More than 30 camps encountered in Sokoto; multiple settlements identified in Zamfara and Katsina as demands for relief intensify
The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has warned of looming disease risks and a worsening humanitarian crisis in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps across Nigeria’s North-West, calling for urgent intervention to provide food, safe drinking water, shelter, sanitation and healthcare to displaced families.
In a statement authorised by its Executive Director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, PeacePro said field observations in Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto States raised serious concerns about the welfare of displaced people, many of whom have reportedly established makeshift settlements after fleeing banditry with inadequate government support.
The organisation reported encountering more than 30 IDP camps during a visit to Sokoto State, including in the Sabon Birni area. In Zamfara, it identified settlements at Tsunami Camp, Government Secondary School Tsunami, Mareri, Tudun Wada and Unguwar Gwaza in Gusau, as well as camps in Anka, Lalan and Premier. It also raised concerns about displaced populations in Katsina State.
PeacePro warned that inadequate food, unsafe drinking water, poor shelter, deficient sanitation and limited access to healthcare could expose camp residents to preventable diseases and other serious health emergencies. It called for urgent medical assessments, disease surveillance, essential medicines and the immediate provision of basic relief supplies.
PeacePro linked the humanitarian crisis to the wider impact of banditry, which it says has forced residents to abandon more than 500 communities across the North-West. It stressed, however, that the immediate priority must be the survival and welfare of displaced people already living in camps.
PeacePro urged the Federal Government, the Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto State Governments, emergency management agencies and humanitarian organisations to assess the camps urgently, identify underserved settlements and mobilise emergency assistance. It also called for transparent reporting on identified needs and the relief delivered.
Hamzat warned that the humanitarian consequences of insecurity must not be overlooked, stressing that people forced to flee violence should not be left without the basic necessities required to survive with dignity.
PeacePro called for a coordinated and sustained humanitarian response, alongside security measures that would enable displaced communities to return home safely when conditions permit.