We’ve forgiven killers of our people – Plateau IDPs

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), in Plateau state yesterday said they have forgiven killers of their people, just as they appealed to government to assist them to return to their homes.
Commandant of the IDPs at Geoscience Anguldi Camp, Francis Chong, made the appeal yesterday when he received members of the Interfaith Dialogue Forum (IDFP), on a visit to the IDPs.
He said they are appealing to the federal government to ensure security in their villages so they can return and commence the process of picking pieces of their lives.
“We want to say here that we have lived in this camp for over three months.
We came here after our villages were attacked on June 23-24, 2018.
You have seen where over 2000 women and children sleep.
We are tired of living here; we want to return to our villages,” he said.
Mr. Chong added that: “What we are pleading with the Federal Government is to ensure our security so that we can return to our villages.
Some of these children you have seen have no parents, others are old and sick.
“With the 2019 polls approaching, we shall soon be forgotten.
We plead for assistance to enable some of us build, even if it is a room so that we can rebuild our destroyed villages.
We need cement, zinc and other building materials.
We do not want to spend any additional day here.
“We call on good spirited individuals to come to our aid and help us out of our predicament.
If not for God, an epidemic would have broken out among us.
But God has been faithful and we are craving for assistance to return to our villages,” the camp commandant said.
Woman’s Leader in the Camp, Mrs Helen Badung, re-echoed Chong’s view and declared that as survivors of the killings, they have forgiven those who killed their husbands, wives and children.
“But we want to return to our villages.
We cannot continue to live in this camp because of the hardship.
It is better to live in your home and drink boiled water than face the pains of living here.
“Please pass this message to the government to come to our aid.
We are tired of staying here.
All we want is for government to enforce security around our villages and save us from further killings,” she said.
Leader of the IDFP’s team, Amir Mohammed Jameel Mohammed, told the IDPs they were in the camp to assess their conditions and how they were coping.
“I can assure you that I shall take your message to the appropriate quarters.
Forgiveness is key in resolving conflict and we are happy you have decided to embrace forgiveness for the process of peace to commence.
“We came with items/foodstuff to show our love and to inform you that your suffering is felt by all of us in IDFP.
We shall stand with you,” Mohammed said.