The Presidential Committee on Victims Support Fund (PCVSF) has spent about N10 billion on various projects to get the internally displaced persons (IDPs) resettled in the North-East.
Vice Chairman of PCVSF, Tijjani Musa Tumsah, revealed that the number of originally displaced persons, put at 2.4 million, had reduced to 1.7 million.
Speaking yesterday during an official visit to the management of New Telegraph, Tumsah said stability was gradually returning to the various camps just as most of the displaced persons have been resettled in their communities.
He added that the gradual return of peace and stability had made it possible to close IDPs’ camp in Yobe State.
He also disclosed that four policemen indicted for demanding sex before allowing IDPs to have access to food in their camps have been dismissed and currently being tried for the offence.
Although he could not disclose the names of the culprits, he, however, described the dismissal and trial of the policemen as a mark of seriousness on the part of Federal Government to put an end to any form of victimization within any of the camps.
He also said that apart from the 18 registered camps in Maiduguri, some churches and non-governmental organisations have also been discovering other camps that some displaced persons ran to during the crisis.
The support fund, set up in 2014 at the peak of Boko Haram insurgency as a non-military response to the terrorist activities, is made up of individuals drawn from the private sector, humanitarian and development agencies, security agencies, government agencies as well as civil society and religious organisations.
Calling on the media to assist in projecting its activities, Tumsah said out of 1,200 schools destroyed by Boko Haram across the North-East, PCVSF had intervened by rebuilding and fully furnishing 100, besides intervening in other form of rehabilitations in Edo and Benue states in the past.
Speaking further on the objectives of the support fund, which is chaired by Lt-Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, Tumsah said it was established to resettle victims of insurgency as well as ameliorate their welfare.
“We have recovered infrastructure destroyed by insurgents and have resettled those who have gone back to their communities. We have committed funds raised for this cause on resettlement, especially education.
“The moment we are done with rebuilding the schools, we just don’t stop there. We go ahead to rehabilitate the teachers and also provide kits for the students to make going back to school easier for them,” he said.
Welcoming the team earlier, the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, New Telegraph, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, described the newspaper as an organisation with very hard working people.
She also promised to ensure that activities of PCVSF were reported as often as they happen, saying it was part of the newspaper’s growing support for a peaceful and stable country.
Other members of the PCVSF team include Brig-Gen. Haggai Nyadar (rtd), Mrs. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji and Alkasimi Abdulkadir.
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