Legal luminary, Professor Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has called on the Federal Government (FG) to create a special agency for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) in the country to alleviate their plights.
The highly revered constitutional lawyer and human rights activist who also urged the government to declare a state of emergency for IDPs, stressed that a special budgetary allocation to address their sufferings had become imperative.
Ozekhome made the call at the weekend during a visit to an IDP camp in Kuchingoro, Abuja, to celebrate the 50th birthday of a legal practitioner, Ifeanyi Ejiofor.
While expressing disgust at the horrible conditions of the IDPs, citing absence of basic necessities such as healthcare and school, Ozekhome likened the camp to those of the “living dead” and “walking corpses” and called on government to address the needs.
“I call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on these IDPs to allocate a special budget and make a special budgetary allocation for them. They cannot be catered for through any other ministry. There should be an agency specifically dedicated to alleviating their sufferings, the SAN stressed.
“When you go there, you see men, women, and little children living in squalor, in abject poverty. No schools, no healthcare, nothing. They are like what you will call the living dead or walking corpses, as Professor Ayi Kwei Armah describes in his epic novel: The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born,” Ozekhome said.
Ozekhome who also recalled his collaboration with Ejiofor on the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, commended Ejiofor’s dedication.
“Ifeanyi is one of the most brilliant, honest, hardworking, erudite, cerebral, research-oriented and gregarious individuals I have ever met. When we worked on Nnamdi Kanu’s case, he was so dedicated that at times, by 3 or 4 a.m., we were still working in my chambers to deliver justice. I thank God that justice was delivered, and it is recorded in history and in the heart of God Almighty.”
In his remarks, Ejiofor corroborated Ozekhome’s call for a state of emergency on IDPs to address their plights. He noted that about 80 per cent of those in the camps were displaced due to insecurity.
“It is common knowledge that there must be a state of emergency to eradicate insecurity. About 80 per cent of the factors leading to their displacement stem from insecurity, which shows that the government is not doing enough.
“The government must live up to expectations to ensure the safety of its citizens. They have paid little or no attention to people in this situation. The IDPs are homeless. It is the government’s responsibility to provide security and basic needs for them. Citizens cannot do this for themselves. A government that cannot provide security for its people is not worthy of respect or honour,” Ejiofor said.
While explaining his decision to celebrate his birthday at the IDPs camp, Ejiofor shared a personal story of his family’s experience with homelessness.
“I chose to visit the homeless because they are here not by their own making, but because the system has failed them. I remember that in 2019, my house was set ablaze on December 2, and my family became homeless for almost a year. That experience prompted this visit to share with those who have no means of survival and have been practically abandoned by the government,” he said.
