Authorities in Benue State have arrested at least 50 individuals posing as displaced persons at the Makurdi Ultra Modern International Market camp, which currently shelters victims of the June 13 herdsmen attack on Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area.
Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner Aondowase Kunde revealed the discovery during a weekend briefing, explaining that the crackdown followed suspicious population surges at the facility. The commissioner personally led a 4am surveillance operation that exposed the infiltration scheme.
“The authentic figure of IDPs in the camp from Yelewata is 219, but you can see that what we have here is far more than that,” Kunde stated. “After investigating happenings in the camp for two days, we discovered that people who live in this community and several places and other communities close to Yelwwate and IDPs from Mega Camp come here, which is wrong.”
The commissioner detailed multiple fraudulent schemes: Host community members masquerading as displaced persons; Organized theft rings using fake ID tags to steal mattresses; Women “borrowing” children to claim extra relief supplies; Instigators provoking unrest among genuine displaced persons.
“We also have the case of people coming in to steal. A particular young man who had the IDP identification tag led others into the camp to steal mattresses after threatening some of the traumatised female IDPs,” Kunde reported. “Some women also mischievously borrow children from the host community to enable them to receive more of the ration of anything distributed in the camp.”
The commissioner condemned the exploitation of humanitarian crisis for personal gain, stating: “Regrettably, some persons are instigating crisis and protest in the camp, and members of the host community as well as people with criminal intentions have infiltrated the camp and are creating problems for the genuine IDPs, but we will sanitise the place.”
Despite the challenges, Kunde confirmed the camp will remain operational for legitimate beneficiaries displaced by the Yelewata violence that initially drove 219 persons from their homes. Security has been tightened to prevent further infiltration while authorities continue verifying authentic displaced persons.
