Fight Breaks Out At IDP Camp Over Donation Of Relief Items From Non- Governmental Organisation

A fight broke out today at the Internally Displaced Persons
camp in Kuchigoro, near games village in Abuja over the distribution of relief
items.

The camp holds hundreds of people displaced from north east states
affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Residents of the camp clashed over items donated by a
nongovernmental organisation, a witness said. It was unclear if anyone was
injured.

A Premium Times correspondent at the scene said
representatives of the donor group arrived the camp under police protection to
distribute rice, blanket, milk, salt, mattresses, tomatoes, and other items,
but had to abandon the materials midway and flee after fighting started.

“The items would have gone round if they were orderly,” he
said. “There were in several thousands.”

He said the team arrived the camp at about 10a.m., but spent
hours trying to put the people in order for the distribution to start.

The women received some of the items in the afternoon.

Men, who were next on line, suddenly overpowered the police
and took over everywhere as fighting started.

A Premium Times correspondent said it was easy to overpower
the security personnel because most of the policemen had left presumably for
another assignment, after collecting some of the items meant for the displaced
people.

“One thing is clear there: the lack of security in that
place. How can displaced people be kept in a camp like that in Abuja without
security?”

At the time of this report, the camp remained in commotion
as people ran for their lives.