The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA says it has constituted a committee to investigate allegations of attempted rape and child trafficking in some Internally displaced Persons camps in the North-East.
In a statement signed by Sani Datti, NEMA’s Senior Information Officer, the agency said the move was in reaction to an investigation titled “Grim Tales of Rape, Child Trafficking in IDP camps”.
The investigation, an original piece of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, but also published on Premium Times, revealed how IDPs were abused - either raped or trafficked with the complicity of officials.
Mr. Datti said the NEMA Director-General, Muhammad Sani-Sidi, had met with stakeholders in Abuja on Monday during which the comittee was set up.
He said the terms of reference of the panel has two weeks to conclude its investigations, and verification of the allegations by the centre.
NEMA is also expected to interact with all stakeholders, hold town hall meetings in all the camps mentioned in the report, interacting with the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, NEMA North-East Zonal office, the State Emergency Management Agency, State Security Services, Red Cross, Arm, and the Police, among others.
Membership of the committee comprise representatives of the State Security Service, the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Red Cross Society and Office of the National Security Adviser.
Other members from the National Human Rights Commission, National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons, Journalists against Disaster, NEMA, SEMAs in Borno, Adamawa, and Gombe, Civil Defense Corps and the International Organisation for Migration.
The NEMA director-general urged the committee headed by Hajiya Bilkisu Abdullah, a Deputy Director with SSS, to work with utmost transparency and honesty.
(NAN)
