At least ten babies have been reported to have died of malnourishment-related illness in the Waru Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Abuja.

Fatima Mohammed, the women leader of the camp, disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Monday in Abuja.

Ms Mohammed said the figure had been recorded since the formation of the camp in 2013, adding that the issue of malnutrition among infants and children remains a source of concern to many families.

She stated that a nursing mother recently died at the camp.

”You see, one of our major problems in this camp is a lack of good medical facilities, portable drinking water and toilet facilities.

”Due to the deteriorating condition of our toilets here, many of our women contracted toilet infections; some are even chronic infections to the extent that they could not bear children,” she said.

While calling for assistance from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, the women’s leader said their situation required urgent attention.

“Before, we used to receive medical and material support from organisations like the former director-general of the Refugees Commission, Imaan Suleiman. She supported us a lot, and we are grateful,” she stated.

Ms Mohammed said they had not received donations from any organisation for some time in the camp, which had about 3,870 persons.

“Even with the empowerment scheme that the former minister of humanitarian affairs Sadiya brought us, only seventeen people benefited from it.

”The empowerment programme was mainly on skills acquisition because some of us were trained in tailoring, and we were given sewing machines,” she said. 

(NAN)