For Victoria Joshua, June 12 began like any other day in the IDPs in Niger state. The mother of three joined dozens of other displaced persons searching for food, water, and answers about when they might return home.
Amid June 12 Democracy Day, Ms Joshua’s thoughts were fixed on the violence that displaced her family from their home by the insurgency ravaging communities in Shiroro LGA.
“The day had no benefit for me, as we are displaced. We have no rest of mind. You could see that the day is useless as our freedom is being deprived of us,” Ms Joshua told Peoples Gazette, squeezing her face.
Ms Joshua was displaced from her village of Jangaru three years ago, but her hope of returning home is not dead. She believed that President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech would address her angst.
“We have lost many things. Someday, it will become difficult to eat as we lose our belongings to terrorists. We prefer to return to our houses. We don’t know when our next meal will come,” she said, hugging her teen child.
The mother of four would have to go out for menial work to feed her three children. Daily, she engaged in menial work to fend for herself and her children. On unlucky days, the children slept on empty stomachs.
Ms Joshua stated, “The government has not done justice for us. If they had done justice, they would have returned us to our house. Democracy Day has no use here. We would not be in this kind of situation.”
She added that on this Democracy Day, their plight should be looked into, as no amount of relief materials given to them would be enough.
Kabir Yahaya, a 34-year-old displaced terror victim, sat and fixed his eyes on the entrance of Erena IDP camp, hoping to see the government’s emissaries to address their plight of returning home.
Mr Yahaya was a farmer before he was displaced by the terror groups in his Allawa home. He recounted a bountiful harvest before fleeing for his life in the town.
“Democracy Day has no use in my place, considering my plight in this IDP,” Mr Yahaya said.
