Professor Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has urged the Federal Government to create a special agency specifically dedicated to alleviating the suffering of Internally Displaced Persons in the country.
He also urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency for IDPs, emphasising the need for a special budgetary allocation to address their plight.
Ozekhome made this call late Friday night following a visit paid to an IDP camp in Kuchingoro, Abuja, to celebrate the 50th birthday of a legal practitioner, Ifeanyi Ejiofor.
Speaking further, Ozekhome likened the living conditions in the camp to those of the “living dead,” citing the absence of basic necessities like healthcare and education.
“I call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on these IDPs to allocate a special budget, make a special budgetary allocation for them. They cannot be catered for through any other ministry. There should be an agency specifically dedicated to alleviating their suffering.
“When you go there, you see men, women, and little children living in squalor, in abject poverty. No schools, no healthcare, nothing. They are like what you will call the living dead or walking corpses, as Professor Ayi Kwei Armah describes in his epic The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born,” Ozekhome said.
Recalling his collaboration with Ejiofor on the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Ozekhome praised Ejiofor’s dedication.
He said “Ifeanyi is one of the most brilliant, honest, hardworking, erudite, cerebral, research-oriented, and gregarious individuals I have ever met. When we worked on Nnamdi Kanu’s case, he was so dedicated that at times, by 3 or 4 a.m., we were still working in my chambers to deliver justice. I thank God that justice was delivered, and it is recorded in history and in the heart of God Almighty.”
Ejiofor, in his remarks, also called for a state of emergency to address the plight of IDPs. He noted that about 80 per cent of those in the camps were displaced due to insecurity.
“It is common knowledge that there must be a state of emergency to eradicate insecurity. About 80 per cent of the factors leading to their displacement stem from insecurity, which shows that the government is not doing enough.
“The government must live up to expectations to ensure the safety of its citizens. They have paid little or no attention to people in this situation. The IDPs are essentially homeless. It is the government’s responsibility to provide security and basic needs; citizens cannot do this for themselves. A government that cannot provide security for its people is not worthy of respect or honour,” Ejiofor said.
Explaining why he chose to celebrate his milestone birthday with those in the IDP camp, Ejiofor shared a personal story of his family’s experience with homelessness.
“I chose to visit the homeless because they are here not by their own making, but because the system has failed them. I remember that in 2019, my house was set ablaze on December 2, and my family became homeless for almost a year. That experience prompted this visit to share with those who have no means of survival and have been practically abandoned by the government,” he said.
Ejiofor further lamented the growing number of IDP camps in the country, attributing the trend to the government’s failure to protect its citizens.
“As days go by, we record new IDP camps almost daily. Some of these people arrived from Maiduguri just weeks ago, and more continue to come from other parts of the country. This shows that the government is not fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities.
“They are not doing enough to protect citizens, provide for them, or guarantee their safety in their homes. The federal government must take decisive action to eliminate all forms of crisis currently developing in the country,” he concluded.