UNHCR, Al-Habibiyyah launch N1bn Ramadan support for Nigeria’s IDPs

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Thursday said there are 3.4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.

The UNHCR Resident Representative in Nigeria, Rahmatullah Muhammed, said this in Abuja at the launch of a N1 billion fund in support of IDPs in the country, jointly organised by the UN agency and Al-Habibiyyah, an Abuja-based Islamic organisation.

“The crisis of internal displacement in Nigeria has persisted for more than 10 years. Currently, 3.4 million people in Nigeria are internally displaced. We should strive to see the human faces behind the digit and contextualize the individual stories of hardship, suffering and loss.

“They are men, women and children who have fled their homes because of violence and conflict and gross human rights violations.

• Insurgency: 35,000 persons killed in North-East since 2009 – UNHCR
• Insurgency: 35,000 persons killed in North-East since 2009 – UNHCR

“This includes 2.3 million IDPs in northeast Nigeria, in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, and 1.1 million IDPs in the North West and North Central. Additionally, 2 million Nigerian refugee returnees and 64,000 Cameroonian refugees are hosted in three states in the southern part of Nigeria,” Muhammed said.

He said there are also over 342,000 Nigerian refugees who have sought asylum in the neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger due to violence and insecurity in the North East and North West.

Also, the National Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyya Islamic Society, Sheik Fu’ad Adeyemi, said his organisation partnered with UNHCR to collect zakat and sadaqah contributions to help internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.

“We are pleased to partner with UNHCR to support people forced to flee their homes because of violence and conflict. Our fellow displaced brothers and sisters represent some of the most vulnerable among us. Each contribution of sadaqah or zakat, no matter how much or how little, will greatly support IDPs in need with the resources and tools to rebuild their lives,” Adeyemi said.

He said funds raised from the campaign would support IDPs with livelihood kits that include farming equipment, small business resources, and trade skills.