By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

Internally displaced persons who fled attacks and abductions in their home communities are facing renewed kidnappings in Mararaba Rido and surrounding areas of Kaduna State, where they struggle to survive without adequate food, secure shelter or stable livelihoods.

The displaced families, who fled mainly from Kajuru, Chikun and Kachia, now face the threat of abduction in the very environment where they sought refuge, according to the Chairman of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Chikun Local Government, Mr. Adams Sule.

Sule said about 4,000 displaced persons were living in the Mararaba area, where they had established an informal settlement without an officially recognised camp.

Many of the displaced persons are subsistence farmers who lost access to their farms and other means of livelihood after fleeing insecurity. With few alternatives available, some have been forced to venture into nearby bushes to search for food and income, exposing themselves to further attacks.

“As I speak to you, many of them are in the hands of kidnappers after being abducted recently,” Sule said.

He alleged that some victims were killed even after their families paid ransom, while others were dispossessed of their belongings.

The situation, he said, had left displaced families caught between the dangers they escaped from their home communities and the insecurity confronting them in their places of refuge.

Beyond the threat of kidnapping, the IDPs are struggling to meet their most basic needs, including food, shelter and their children’s education.

“We are suffering. We don’t have food or anything to support our children. Some of our children are out of school,” Sule said.

He added that insecurity continued to affect communities around Mararaba, forcing some residents to abandon their homes in the evenings and seek safer places to sleep.

The persistent threats have also taken a toll on the mental health of displaced residents, many of whom have endured repeated displacement and the trauma of attacks, abductions and the loss of their livelihoods.

“We desperately need trauma healing,” Sule said, calling for psychosocial support for affected families.

He appealed to the Kaduna State Government to provide adequate security for displaced communities and residents in surrounding areas, warning that the absence of safety had compounded their difficulties.

Sule also called for food and welfare assistance, scholarships for out-of-school children, and economic empowerment programmes for women and young people.

According to him, the settlement is managed through voluntary community efforts, with representatives from different displaced communities coordinating assistance and identifying residents’ needs.

He said he had approached the Sarkin Kujama to help coordinate displaced persons who identified with the traditional institution, adding that some non-governmental organisations had provided assistance.

However, he said the support remained inadequate to meet the needs of the estimated 4,000 displaced persons and lamented the lack of government assistance.

For families who fled violence in search of safety, the continuing threat of kidnapping, coupled with hunger and the struggle to earn a living, has made rebuilding their lives increasingly difficult.

Sule urged the government, humanitarian organisations and well-meaning individuals to intervene with sustained security, livelihood and social support to help the displaced families regain a measure of safety and stability.