Nigeria Situation Report, 14 Mar 2024

Highlights

• Borno State Government begins closure of informal IDP camps.
• Outbreaks of diseases raise concerns for millions of children in north-east Nigeria.
• World Bank report warns Borno, Adamawa, are among states at risk of a severe food crisis

Background

Situation Overview

Borno State Government begins closure of informal IDP camps

The Borno State Government on 25 February 2024 began the closure of all informal camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri and its environs with a plan to close all the camps by 29 May 2024. At a ceremony during the official closure of the Kawar Maila camp in Maiduguri, the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum said it became necessary to close all camps and return thousands of people displaced by the conflict in north-east Nigeria to their ancestral homes to reduce their dependency on Government and non-governmental organisations for assistance. “We have closed all official camps within Maiduguri and today’s occasion signals the commencement of the closure of all unofficial camps,” Governor Zulum said.

Following the closure of the camp, the Government relocated the 1,152 people in 179 households living at the Kawar Maila camp to the newly constructed 500 housing estate in Dalori town in Konduga local government area. According to Governor Zulum, the estate is equipped with a hospital, school and potable/irrigation water facilities to ensure service delivery for the returnees. The Government also distributed food items, mats, blankets and clothes to the returnees to help them rebuild their lives.

Thousands of IDPs have been living in informal camp settlements in Maiduguri since 2013. The displaced people opted to settle in these informal camps because the landowners did not require them to pay for the land, they could no longer afford to pay for rental accommodation elsewhere, or they felt more secure in those camps. However, since 2021, the Borno State Government has supported the return of more than 170,000 IDPs from various camps in the State to their respective homes. In November 2023, the Government supported the returns of 17,000 IDPs from five camps in Dikwa and one in Monguno to their areas of origin and other Government-constructed housing estates.

This initiative also served to decongest the overcrowded settlements that have degraded the quality of humanitarian services provided in the camps. The Government has also indicated that there may be a plan for the reconstruction and resettlement of Dalwa and Sandiya communities, among other locations, which were dislodged and destroyed during the protracted conflict in Konduga Local Government Area. “The government is doing everything possible to resettle the IDPs at Muna and Madinatu unofficial camps and very soon we are going to commence the reconstruction of Dalwa and Sandiya communities,” Governor Zulum said. Humanitarian partners are advocating with the Borno State Government for the return and settlement of IDPs to be conducted in a safe, dignified, informed and voluntary manner. Concerns remain that some areas designated for returns and relocation may still be affected by insecurity.

Outbreaks of diseases raise concerns for millions of children in north-east Nigeria

There are growing concerns for the health and well-being of millions of children in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states following outbreaks of deadly diseases.

In Borno State, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported a surge in the number of measles cases among children despite treating over 9,600 patients in communities in 2023. MSF reported that measles cases were highest between October and December 2023, when over 3,900 children were hospitalised, almost three times more than the same period in 2022. This spike coincided with an unprecedented diphtheria outbreak and a longer-than-usual malaria season. MSF attributed this alarming rise in cases of measles to poor vaccination rates (below the 95 per cent target), required to suppress the outbreak. Humanitarian partners have called for an urgent reinforcement of routine immunisation campaigns to address the situation.

In Yobe State, the Government announced that an outbreak of cerebrospinal meningitis had led to the deaths of 22 people and caused over 270 others to be hospitalized in Nangere, Machina, Damaturu, Jakusko, Fune, Potiskum and Nguru local government areas (LGAs). Those affected are mostly between the ages of 5 and 18 years. To control the spread of the disease, the State Government supplied emergency treatment drugs and deployed a rapid response team to affected areas. The Government also requested humanitarian partners in the state to intensify risk communication, contact tracing, sample collection, laboratory testing and analysis as well as case management.

In Adamawa State, the Government announced that one of the five suspected cases of Lassa fever had been confirmed to be positive. Health officials isolated and managed the index patient, identified on 23 February, to contain the spread of the disease.

A shortfall in funding is undermining the response to disease outbreaks in vulnerable communities affected by protracted conflict in the BAY States. Only 41.5 per cent (US$544.3 million) of the US$1.31 billion required to implement the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan has been received to date. Urgent action is required to protect children from preventable diseases.

World Bank report warns Borno, Adamawa, are among states at risk of a severe food crisis

The World Bank’s February Food Security report projects that the BAY states as well as four other north-east and north-west States in Nigeria may suffer food crises in the second quarter of 2024. According to the report, Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara states will face crisis food security levels, mostly because of persistent insecurity and armed conflict and deteriorating livelihoods. The report noted that millions of conflict-affected people in Abadam, Bama, Guzamala, and Marte LGAs of Borno State would experience emergency food security levels because of limited household food stock and limited access to markets and humanitarian aid.

The report also identified climate change, fuel scarcity, the devaluation of the Naira, and rising inflation as the key drivers of the food and nutrition crisis in Nigeria. The latest consumer price index report from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics puts food inflation at over 33 per cent.

In January, nutrition surveillance data indicated a 19.9 per cent prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM) among children displaced from hard-to-reach communities in Borno State. This number is 0.7 per cent higher than it was in December 2023 and indicates that the affected communities are faced with critical food and nutrition situations. Nutrition partners in Borno State reported significant admissions of severely acute malnourished (SAM) and moderately acute malnourished (MAM) children in January 2024 following extensive screening and outreach efforts in Borno State.

To address the growing food crisis in the country, the Federal Government of Nigeria in July 2023 declared a national food security emergency. The Government initiated palliative schemes to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal and food inflation across the country.

Nutrition partners in Adamawa State are maintaining a strong focus on nutrition programme management and training of health workers, with an emphasis on integrated approaches and community involvement. Partners in Yobe State also continued efforts in community management of acute malnutrition activities, infant and young feeding promotion, and provision of essential supplements and food assistance.

The next Situation Report will provide an overview of the Cadre Harmonise food security survey to be issued in March.