Mr Aston Inyang, the National Coordinator of Bakassi Returnees, has appealed to the government to rehabilitate Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in
Akwa Ibom as they are in deplorable conditions.
Inyang who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however thanked the Federal Government for the assistance rendered to the returnees in the state.
Inyang, however, appealed to the government to rehabilitate the Bakassi returnees to avoid them being used by mischief makers.
He added that returnees camps spread across the 31 local government areas were in need of government’s assistance.
Inyang said that the IDPs camp at the defunct Technical College, Ikot Ada Idem in Ibiono Ibom LGA was the first IDPs’ camp.
“The people staying in this camp were in thousands, but some of them have left to fend for themselves since no succour is coming from government,’’ he noted.
A visit to some of the camps by NAN on Wednesday revealed that all is not well with the Bakassi returnees especially children and women.
At Ikot Ada Idem IDPs’ camp, children were seen in unhealthy condition as some of them looked malnourished, while some of the women were in pitiable conditions.
The situation was the same at Bakassi returnees’ camp in Ituk Mbang, Uruan, Ikot Ediom in Ibesikpo Asutan, Ikot Oto in Ikot Ekpene and Ifa Okon village camp in Essien Udim LGAs of the state.
Speaking to NAN, one of the children in the camp, Miss Mary Essien, said that she lost her father and her mother is poor and has no money.
Essien, who ought to be in school, lamented that her mother could not afford to send her to school because of her poor financial situation.
According to her, education was a difficult task as feeding was not easy for them in camp.
“My father died some years ago, my mother has no money to feed us and even to send me and my two siblings to school.
“We sleep on bare floor, no mattress, no windows in our room.
“We appeal to government to come to our rescue,” Essien said.
Also speaking, Miss Mercy James, called on corporate organisations in the country to assist the children in the camp.
James said that life has been unbearable in the camp as they were going through tough times.
Mrs Grace Akpan, who is at Ituk Mbang camp, decried the hazard conditions the returnees were passing through.
Akpan said that women and children in the camp were passing through untold hardship.
According to her, since she lost her husband the situation in camp has been so dehumanising, adding that some of them had lost their children.
“Some of our children are dead because of starvation, no food, no medical care.
“My husband has died and nobody to care for us, we need assistance from government,” Akpan said. (NAN)