Many flood victims in Kogi have left the three temporary camps in Lakota, alleging neglect by the state government.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) ,who visited the camps at Kabawa, Gadumo and Adankolo on Monday, reports that most of the victims have left for their homes.
The Kabawa camp was virtually empty as only 11 men, six women and 13 children were present as against more than 500 displaced persons who took refuge in the facility at the peak of the crisis.
A similar situation prevailed at the Gadumo and Adankolo camps although the number of victims was much higher than that of Kabawa.
NAN also observed that officials of Red Cross, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ministry of Environment and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) had left the Kabawa.
However. for four policemen remained in the camp to provide security for the remaining victims.
A spokesman for the victims at Kabawa, Mr Yakubu Iliyasu, said the people moved out of the camp last week out of frustration and without any monetary assistance from the state government.
Iliyasu said the government, Red Cross and NEMA officials finally moved out of the camp on Saturday, adding that the medical stand in the camp had also been removed.
He said few victims who remained might have been abandoned as they had not been served food, medicines and other essential items for five days.
He said there was no government official around to whom one could complain.
NAN recalls that some of the victims from Adankolo camp on Friday staged a peaceful protest against alleged poor government handling of monies and relief materials donated to them.
The State Deputy Governor, Mr Yomi Awoniyi, who is also the Chairman of SEMA, had denied the allegations.
He said all monies donated to victims were still intact while the relief materials had been judiciously distributed among the victims.
Awoniyi said all the monies donated by the Federal Government, corporate organisations and individuals to the victims were still intact.
According to Awoniyi, the state government has not given money to anyone.
Commenting on the development, the state Commissioner for Environment, Mr Abdulrhaman Wuya, said government could not stop anyone from leaving the camp.
Wuya said that the camps were provided as temporary accommodation for the people but added that government was making efforts to provide alternative accommodation for the remaining victims.
He said government had acquired some houses, including the trade fair complex at Felele area of Lokoja and provided some amenities in them for the use of victims.
– NAN
