In Fori community, hundreds of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs have taken shelter in a public school, following a devastating flood that rendered them homeless.
Over 500 in number, the displaced persons are from communities situation across the river bank that flooded Maiduguri.
They are Fori, Aji-Alaji and Galtimari and the victims include, children, wet mothers, sick persons and aged-men and women.
The flood disaster started on Tuesday in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, affecting several communities in the city.
This newspaper had reported how the flood has displaced thousands of residents in the metropolis and Jere local government area of Borno.
While the school facility, Fori Primary School serves as their temporary shelter, the flood victims are faced with difficulty with feeding, health services and other basic needs.
In an effort to bring succur to the IDPs, the community members are mobilizing resources to provide food, water and other emergency needs of the people.
According to Abba-Aji Adamu, a resident of the Fori, they started mobilizing resources through voluntary donations from people around the community.
In an interview with this reporter, he noted that because of the remote location of the community, it was hard to access intervention from the government and other support groups.
‘Immedietly after they took shelter in the school, we realized that many of them had not eaten throughout the day and we didn’t hesitate to start seeking for donations in our immediate community to feed them.
‘With the little we gathered in the evening, we have managed to provide them with little food stuffs, and as I am speaking to you now, we are still mobilizing money to buy and cook their next meal,’ he said.
Mr. Adamu, also one of the coordinators of the unofficial camp, said that even with the intervention they are receiving, it is far from enough.
He also called on the state government and other philanthropists to not forget victims of flood at Fori and it’s environs.
‘Even as I speak to you, we have received 400 loafs of bread from a politician, Honorable Mai Jama’a. We are not getting enough, but they are our people and we cannot abandoned them,’ Mr. Adamu added.
Speaking with some of the victims, they narrated how water submerged their houses and destroying their food stuffs and other valuables.
Now three days in their temporary shelter, they said that feeding and hygiene is a major problem.
Fati Mohammed Ali, one of the flood survivors said that people had to intervene and rescue her and her seven children in their house at night.
‘Our house collapsed immediately after we were evacuated. My husband is late and if people had not intervened, we would have drown in the river,’ the mother of seven orphans said.
Also, Fatima Ali, another victim said that her infant baby is not getting adequate breastfeeding due to lack of proper feeding in their camp.
She said that other challenges like lack of mosquito nets, blankets for their children is making life difficult for them.
‘My child is only three weeks old and is already suffering from cold,’ she added.
Similarly, a football club, Fori Young Stars has embraced the resources mobilization to help the flood victims.
According to Babagana Waziri, the team head coach, he tasked his players to contribute a certain amount of money as contribution to the IDPs.
‘We have N17,000 in the club account and I directed our accountant to include it in the donation, while we tasked each player in the team to donate at least N500 or more to help the flood victims,’ Waziri explained.
Fori Young Stars is a local football club in the community, who plays in the state’s league second division.
Note: While several unofficial and official camps hosting victims of flood disaster across Maiduguri are accessing intervention from the government and other support groups, the displaced people at Fori, Aji-Alaji and Galtimari are wallowing in starvation.
If you are interested in making a donation, kindly contact Sadiq Abubakar on 09071760903 or donate to this account: 9027614155 Opay.
