The Borno State Emergency Management Agency has confirmed three deaths in Saturday’s fire at the Muna El-Badawy Internally Displaced Persons camp in Maiduguri.
The agency’s Director-General, Hajiya Yabawa Kolo, confirmed the death toll during an impact assessment visit to the scene.
She said at least 3,000 shelters were destroyed while dozens of households in the camp were displaced, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
She said the fire, which began from a tent, gutted other shelters because there was no immediate fire service response in the camp at the time of the incident.
Kolo noted that fire outbreaks in camps and communities where returned IDPs had been resettled were becoming a regular occurrence.
She said there was a similar incident at Ngirburi Village in the Jere Local Government Area recently in which two persons died.
“There have been records of huge losses of food and non-food items as well as animals that were destroyed during the fire disaster.
“Another fire incident occurred at Mandarari IDP camp, located within Konduga town in Konduga Local Government Area,’’ she stated.
Kolo said the agency was conducting assessment to ascertain the level of damage, noting that the critical needs of the victims were food, shelter and other non-food items.
She added, “We appeal to the National Emergency Management Agency, the Northeast Development Commission and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to assist the IDPs.’’
Meanwhile, a Commissioner in the Zamfara Independent Electoral Commission, Hashimu-Shehu Gazura, has died in a road accident
NAN reports that Gazura, also a former member of Zamfara House of Assembly, died on Friday in a crash on Yawuri Road in Kebbi State.
His death was confirmed in a statement on Saturday by the Chairman, House of Assembly Service Commission, Alhaji Mansur Bungudu.
The statement read, “He died yesterday (Friday) after a ghastly motor accident on Yawuri Road in Kebbi State. The deceased’s funeral prayer is scheduled to be held at Gummi Emir’s Palace on Saturday.”
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