Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), from Arabic Teachers College where IDPs from Marte local government are taking refuge have barricaded the Maiduguri-Kano road protesting poor Feeding in the camp, in the process, disrupting traffic on the expressway for over two hours.

The mostly women and children IDPs, in their hundreds, were in the fore front of the protest, with the men quietly watching from a distance. They blocked the roads for over two hours chanting that “we have not eaten for three days,” while others were pouring out water from jerry cans indicating that there was no water and other basic needs in the camp.

An IDP, Mallama Hauwa Audu, who spoke to our Correspondent, said that they were not fighting government but making their grievances known, as they have not eaten for three days and when they asked the committee members what the problem was, they were told that there was no fire wood to cook for them.

She said “we demand the immediate dissolution of the Central Feeding committee and reverting to house hold feeding system and increase in the quantity of food supply. We have been suffering in silence for quite some time”.

In a swift reaction, the Borno state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Mamman Durkwa, who was on an official visit to Bakasi IDP camp had to cut short his visit and rush to the scene of the protest to address their grievances.

While addressing the protestants, the Deputy Governor announced the immediate dissolution of the central feeding system committee, ordered the immediate introduction of the household feeding system and supply of more trucks of food.

“I hereby order immediate dissolution of the central feeding system committee and introduce the household system and I will not leave this place until trucks start bringing food items. I, therefore, appoint the SEMA chairman to supervise the distribution of the food items,” Durkwa stated.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Demian Chukwu and other security chiefs were also there appealing to the IDPs to leave the road but they defied the calls until the state’s deputy governor announced the dissolution of the central feeding system committee and introduction of the household feeding system.