Senate asks FG to return displaced Ogun residents from Benin Republic

The Senate has asked the federal government to help return residents of Ogun States who have fled to neighbouring Benin Republic as a result of rising attacks in the state.

This was a sequel to a point of Order raised by Tolu Odebiyi (APC, Ogun West) who decried the spate of insecurity in the state and the state government’s inability to tackle the menace alone.

In his debate, the lawmaker referred to recent attacks by suspected herdsmen on communities in the Yewa Area of the State.

He said the attacks not only generated fear among residents but controversies among political players after a group asked herders to vacate the state.

Mr Odebiyi said many of these attacks by suspected herdsmen on the area remain perennial, owing to the near absence of police and other security personnel in the affected communities.

The attacks, he explained, were also carried out in communities like Asa, Oho Agbooro, Moro, Ibeku and Agbon Ojodu.

He said many residents have been forced to flee and relocate to a refugee camp in Pobe area of Benin Republic in search of safety, with many of them forced to live in very unfavourable conditions in the refugee camps.

“The state government alone, cannot be left with the onerous task of resettling these displaced citizens, hence, the need for support from the federal government to effectively return the affected citizens back to their various communities.

“If the Benin Republic that is a neighbour to Nigeria could accommodate Nigerians, give them food and set up a refugee camp for them, Nigeria needs to positively step up on how we treat our citizens who are victims of an internally induced crisis,” he said.

The Senate thereafter called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) to undertake an ‘on the spot’ assessment of the affected communities with a view to determining the extent of the problem and providing relief to the affected persons.

They urged concerned authorities to put necessary mechanisms in place for the reparation and relocation of the affected peoples and communities.

The lawmakers also asked the authorities of the Nigerian Police to see to the provision of police posts and ensuring police presence in these communities, so as to ensure security and rekindle the people’s confidence.