An operation in surveying victims of terrorist attacks in Plateau State has been started by the federal government.
On Thursday morning, the victims—mostly men and women—were seen en masse marching to the New Era hotel in Jos, the site of the verification exercise, where officials from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development were waiting to assist them.
The minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq, explained that the process was meant to determine the best course of action for the victims in an interview with The Punch on Thursday in Jos.
The Minister said “You know, it has been years since Plateau state has been experiencing insecurity in the form of attacks and even bomb blasts. Some of them did not happen at the same time.
“So, the essence of this programme is to meet with the victims, interact with them and get data from them as well. Plateau is not the only state we are doing this and the aim is to determine the appropriate intervention for them by the government.”
Asked how long the verification exercise will last and the nature of intervention that the victims should expect from the Federal Government, the Minister who was represented by Mrs Dinatu Wuyah, an Assistant Director, Special Duties in the ministry added, “If you look at our survey form administered to the victims, it is structured in a way that we need to know the level of contact of individual victims, their professional fields and skills and so on. Some of them need an intervention that will enable them to cope with the situation they found themselves in, some others may need economic empowerment and so on.
“When we are done with the verification exercise, it will help us to properly classify them to enable them to benefit from the appropriate intervention. I think between now and March next year, we should be able to conclude the exercise.”
One of the leaders of a Non-Governmental Organisation, Northern Youths for Leadership and Governance, Abdullahi Yusuf, who participated in the exercise commended the Federal Government for initiating the intervention plan.
He urged the victims in the state to take the verification exercise seriously to enable them to benefit from the programme in due course.