IDPs stranded as fire razes camp in Borno

A fire outbreak at an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Mafa LGA of Borno has left hundreds homeless.

According to Zagazola Makama, a publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the fire broke out on Saturday after 4:30 pm.

In the video released by the publication, some IDPs were seen trying to put out the fire to save the little that had been left.

Women and children were also seen scampering around for safety.

As of the time of this report, the number of houses affected has not been specified.

Efforts to reach Kamiludeen Sani, Borno police spokesperson, were not successful.

Earlier in March, a fire incident at the Mafa IDP camp destroyed over 400 houses.

Although no life was lost, Usman Mohammed-Aji, northeast zonal coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.

The outbreak came less than three weeks after a fire incident destroyed houses at IDP camps in Konduga and Muna garage in Maiduguri.

In February 2022, one person was confirmed dead with scores of IDPs injured when a fire suspected to have emanated from a cooking point escalated in Muna Elbawawi, near Maiduguri.

The fire razed down over 100 shelters, leaving hundreds of IDPs stranded and displaced from the camp.

Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno, had earlier pledged to construct permanent shelters for the IDPs to mitigate the frequent fire outbreaks.

However, in July, Zulum announced the closure of four IDP camps and resettled 11,000 households in six communities.

In October 2021, he said all IDP camps located within Maiduguri, the state capital, would be shut down by December 2021, while resettlement efforts would continue for IDPs in other parts of the state.