Some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) operating in Plateau used the pretext of helping Internally-Displaced Persons (IDP) to dupe their financiers, a retired general has stated.
Maj.-Gen. Augustine Agundu (rtd), a former Commander of Operation Safe Haven, the military exercise set up to tackle the conflict in Plateau, stated this in an interview first aired on Channels Television’s Newsnight in May 2022. Agundu assumed duty as Commander of Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven in July 2018, replacing Maj.-Gen. Anthony Atolagbe.
The interview has returned to the front burner days after bandits massacred no fewer than 148 persons in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi local government areas of the state.
Speaking on how some unscrupulous elements were cashing in on the misery of others, Agundu said, “You have to understand the Plateau setting. The dirty soup is cooked in the capital city but the bitter taste comes out in the rural area. So, I populated the rural area with a lot of our presence. At the time, they said there were Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
“I set up a committee to go to all the villages and most of them (IDPs) came from the 2008 and 2010 crises which preceded this administration. And I told his Excellency that I was going to close some of the camps.
“What happened was that people were becoming mischievous, including some Non Governmental Organizations. They would collect money from their financiers and when you go to IDP camps, you won’t see anybody there, but once you say there will be distribution of materials, people will run to the camp, collect their share and go back to their respective homes.
“I said, no problem, I am going to close the camps down. Plateau people are hard-working; they want to eke out a living. I encouraged them and strengthened the place with a lot of military presence. We also strengthened the local police and worked collaboratively with all security agencies in the area, which worked perfectly because there was a good understanding among the security heads.
“If I say we are going in a direction, everybody follows. This helped us get to areas that were ordinarily ‘no-go areas’.
“Again, I was also visibly there to encourage locals to remain there. The state provided the resources for the locals to go back home. And, before you know it, all IDP camps were closed. Today, there is no IDP camp in the state. So, these things are possible if we are committed.”