The lawmaker representing Kano South senatorial district, Senator Kabiru Gaya has disclosed that the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast has caused a casualty of about 15,000 deaths and made 5 million persons to be internally displaced, which he stressed were the highest in the world.
He stated this on Wednesday while addressing critical issues relating to the bill to establish North East Development Commission, which has passed through second reading on the floor of the Senate.
The lawmaker noted that the internally displaced persons, IDPs, were not only at various camps in Nigeria, but were also in Niger Republic, Cameroon and Chad.
“Distinguished colleagues, I recall that I introduced this bill on 8th October, 2015, and I want to commend my colleagues for the expeditious consideration of the bill. I want to remind all that Nigeria has about 5 million internally displaced persons and over 15,000 lives lost as a result of attacks, which was the highest in the world,” Gaya stated.
Contributing to the bill, Chairman of the Northeast lawmakers Caucus, Senator Danjuma Goje commended President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo for their willingness to rehabilitate the people of the Northeast, expressing optimism that when the bill is eventually passed into law, it would be assented to with dispatch.
Goje stressed that the bill was a legal framework that would coordinate activities of the Commission when it takes off, noting that international donors agencies, development partners will have a clear direction of where to put in their resources by way of contribution.
“My Distinguished colleagues, this bill is the legal framework work that coordinates activities of International Development partners and donor agencies for their contribution toward rehabilitating reconstructing the zone,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha from Taraba South has disclosed that those internally displaced from Adamawa were currently camping in his Senatorial District, while soliciting for amendment of the bill to include Taraba so as to capture those IDPs.
“I want to solicit for the amendment of the bill to include Taraba State because we all have our shots of the crises as there are IDPs in my Senatorial District from Adamawa as a result of the crises,” he noted.
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