Fire outbreak guts IDP Camp in Borno

By Tolulope Dolapo Thomas

Published: February 20, 2022 | 1:27 PM GMT

One person has died and seventeen others injured after a fire outbreak occurred at the Murna Elbadaw Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Borno state, North-East Nigeria.

About 100 shelters and tents were destroyed.

Usman Mohammed Aji, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) North East Co-ordinator, and the Director General Borno State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA) said the fire started at about 1 pm from one of the tents at the camp.

But with quick intervention it was brought under control by personnel of the State Fire Service.

The Governor of Borno state, Babagana Zulum, while on a sympathy visit to victims of fire disaster at Muna Elbadawy IDP camp, directed Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to list and submit details of the number of affected households for proper intervention by the state government.

While sympathizing with the victims, Zulum announced that the state government is looking at all possible ways to collaborate with the federal government and humanitarian partners to come up with a mechanism to resettle them and other remnants of IDPs in and around Maiduguri back to their ancestral homes or nearby towns such as Ngwom and other towns.

He lamented that many do not understand why Borno State government is trying to resettle IDPs back to their ancestral homes.

He observed that there is no way, at any point the state government is forcing any IDP back to their homes.

Zulum further explained that the resettlement will enable them to reestablish their livelihood and give them the ability to properly discipline and safeguard the moral upbringing of their children.

Background

The Muna Elbadaw IDP camp is located on the outskirts of Maiduguri – the Borno state capital.

The camp consists of more than 10,000 households and 50,000 individuals.

It is one of several IDP camps located in Nigeria’s North-East that has been grappling with an insurgency led by terror group Boko Haram.

Fire outbreak guts IDP Camp in Borno

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About Tolulope Dolapo Thomas

Tolulope Dolapo Thomas, BSc, is a Public Health Educator and Broadcast Journalist with extensive experience in radio and television. She specializes in Health Promotion, Sexual and Reproductive/Fertility Health, and Environmental Health. Certified in CPR and First Aid, Tolulope is passionate about empowering women through evidence-based public health education, fertility awareness, and community sensitization. She is currently pursuing an MSc in Public Health and is the founder of Everywoman Health by TD, a women-focused health platform dedicated to providing accurate, accessible, and trustworthy guidance for women at every stage of life.