Nigeria: Government tears down IDP camp, leaves occupants homeless

(Worthy News) – It has come to light that, with little warning and no offer of alternative accommodation, the government of Nigeria recently bulldozed an Internally Displaced Persons’ camp which had housed thousands of people rendered homeless by Islamic jihadist violence in the country, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.

Islamic jihadism first took hold in Nigeria in 2009 with Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa militants, and Fulani Muslim herdsmen killing tens of thousands of civilians, especially Christians, in their quest to impose Sharia law.

The Durumi IDP camp had offered shanty town accommodation in the Nigerian capital of Abuja to hundreds of families who had fled murderous Islamic extremist violence in Nigeria’s northeastern region in 2009, ICC reports.

According to an Associated Press report, Nigerian security forces stormed the Durumi camp six months ago, giving the occupants just half an hour to pack and leave before reducing the place to rubble. The government forces claimed the camp was a hideout of criminals.

“Since the demolition of their camp, [hundreds of families] have been forced onto the streets, with no compensation from the government,” the AP report said. “The Durumi camp was for years a place of shelter and hope for those who fled the extremist violence and were looking to rebuild their lives in Abuja.”

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