Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Chanchanji Ward in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State on Thursday appealed to governments at all levels and humanitarian organisations to provide urgent relief materials following renewed attacks in their communities.
The displaced residents, who fled their homes amid ongoing violence, said they are in dire need of food, temporary shelter, and medical supplies.
Their appeal comes barely a week after Catholic priests in southern Taraba staged a peaceful protest over the continued killings and displacement of Christian farmers in the area.
Speaking on behalf of the displaced persons, community leader Stephen Kajo described the sustained assaults as devastating, leaving residents traumatised and economically crippled.
“Our communities have been attacked repeatedly since September. Many lives have been lost. Houses were burnt and our farms destroyed. Our people had no option but to run for safety,” he said.
Kajo called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the North East Development Commission (NEDC), and the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (TSEMA) to urgently intervene with food items, temporary shelter materials, medical supplies, and other relief assistance.
“We ran with nothing. We depend on goodwill to eat. Life here is very difficult,” he added.
The IDPs also urged the state and federal governments to intensify security operations in the area to prevent further killings and facilitate their safe return.
“We respectfully appeal to the government at all levels to strengthen security deployment and take decisive steps to end these attacks. We want protection. We want peace. We want to return home safely,” another camp leader said.
Some of the displaced residents expressed frustration over what they described as the Taraba State Government’s failure to adequately respond to the crisis.
“We don’t feel the presence of government here. Over 200 people have been killed since September last year but government is not doing anything to stop the killings,” one resident alleged.
An elderly farmer, Pa Aondona Hemba, said he lost both his home and livelihood in the attacks.
“I lost my house and my farm. Everything is gone. I don’t know when we will return. We just want peace in our land,” he lamented.
Similarly, youth leader Iorliam Tersoo said fear and uncertainty have become a daily reality for those taking refuge in temporary camps.
“We are afraid. We need security so that we can go back and rebuild our lives. We cannot continue living like this,” he said.
The displaced residents maintained that immediate humanitarian assistance and decisive security intervention are critical to restoring normalcy and dignity to their troubled communities.
