Socio-Economic Rights & Accountability Project (SERAP) in partnership with the Ford Foundation on Tuesday organised a round table to address the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.
Chaired by the Retired Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Ayo Phillips, the round table attracted relevant government agencies, civil society, NGOs, legal Practitioners and the media; all relevant stakeholders in addressing the plight of the victims & preferring solutions to ease their situation.
With over 2.2 million IDPs in the country, participants agreed that society and, especially, the government needs to address the root causes of Boko Haram as well as provide re-orientation, pyschological, social and economic support for their victims.
The Bomb Blast Victims Association of Nigeria, also appealed to the government to include members of the group in the Victims Support Fund.
A member of the group, who was a speaker during the round table, Mr Olatunji Kayode, made the appeal while speaking on ‘Developing Effective Policy Framework to Address the Situation of Victims of Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Mr Kayode, who is just one of the many victims of the Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria, maintained that there are many more victims like him who are helpless and abandoned.
The convener of the round table said the suggestions put forward will be forwarded to the government.
