The United Nations has said that an estimated 27,000 Nigerians died between 2009 and 2019 in the ongoing Boko Haram war in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states.
The United Nations humanitarian and resident coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Edward Khallon, disclosed this on Wednesday during the commemoration of the tenth ‘anniversary’ of Boko Haram crisis.
Khallon spoke at an event tagged ‘Holding on: An immersive experience of internal displacement: 10 years of crises in northeast Nigeria’ held at the United Nations House in Abuja.
In attendance were the governor of Yobe State, Mr. Mai Buni; the director general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Mustapha Maihaja, head of the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, Mrs. Edem Wosornu, and the executive coordinator of the Nigeria NGO Network on Humanitarian Development Initiative (NINGONET), Ms. Josephine Habba.
“The Boko Haram crisis in North-east over ten years between 2009 and 2019 has claimed 27,000 civilians due to this decade-long conflict in Nigeria’s North-east,” said Khallon.
He also said the UN is unhappy that humanitarian workers have been killed and kidnapped. He said for the workers that had died in the line of duty, “their memories lies in the hearts and minds to all.”
“We are grieved for the loss of fellow aid workers in the North-east, in Kaduna State, in other states, and in the very place where we are gathered today. Their memories live on vividly in our hearts and minds and their dedication in service of humanity should continue to be an inspiration to us all.”
The UN country coordinator also said in recent months about 130,000 new cases of displaced persons had been recorded.
“The raising insecurity in recent months has pushed over 130,000 newly displaced people on a long trudge. Arriving en masse to displaced camps, they are looking upon us for aid and protection. Despite challenges, we cannot let them down.”
Achievements
Khallon said there are over 1.7 million Nigerians who are still in need of humanitarian assistance, which the UN was rendering.
He said the UN and other agencies were feeding five million persons, while about two million who are displaced have found refuge in camps jointly managed by the agencies and state governments.
“In February, we built an entirely new camp in Maiduguri for the tens of thousands who fled insecurity in northern Borno – from the ground up in just under six weeks. In June, together with internally displaced people in Damboa, we put over 1000 shelters in four weeks to put a roof over people’s heads.
“Our collective efforts have made a difference over the past 10 years, especially when we have worked closely together in the interest of the people living in Borno, Adamawa, and, Yobe states who are impacted by the devastating consequences of armed conflict.”
In her remarks, Worsonu condoled with her colleagues and civilians who lost their lives in the line of duty
“We have lost many colleagues and many civilians. Like we said, 27,000 innocent human lives including humanitarian workers, women, children have been killed in the crisis.
“The humanitarian community ramped-up its efforts in 2016 for the last four years we have been trying to support the government of Nigeria at the state and federal level to assist people in need. We see these crises happen in different countries, and usually, the humanitarian communities come in to support government authorities when the scale is high,” she said.
With Premium Times report
