The Federal Government has disclosed that 755 civilians have been killed and 1,321 injured by the remnants of Explosive Ordnance (EO) in the Northeast in the last six years.

The Federal Government also said the figure indicates that at least one civilian dies every day from explosive ordnance.

Majority of the victims, according to the government, are men involved in farming, travelling and scrap metal collectors.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, disclosed this in Abuja during the inauguration of the national humanitarian mine action committee.

The seven-member committee drawn from the ministry and some of the agencies under it are expected to check the menace of explosive ordnance in the Northeast.

According to a report by the UN Humanitarian Programme Cycle 2022 issued February 2022 quoted by Farouq, approximately 1.2 million individuals in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, continue to be affected by the widespread and indiscriminate use of the explosives including refugees, IDPs, returnees and host communities.

Speaking on the casualty, Farouq said: “Here in Nigeria, as the security situation in the Northeast continues to improve, and people, IDPs, and refugees are being resettled, unfortunately, many innocent civilians have lost their lives and limbs by disturbing or inadvertently coming into contact with explosive remnants of war.

“Since 2016, 755 civilians have been killed and 1,321 injured by EO, a rate of more than one civilian every day.

“The most recent incident is August this year where 13 people were killed by explosive ordnances in Bama LGA of Borno State. Given the absence of a comprehensive incident-data-tracking system, these figures are likely to be a significant underestimate.”

On those affected, she said: “The majority of victims are men involved in farming, travelling and scrap metal collection.

“Women and children are also at risk while collecting wood, shepherding and playing. Notably, the number of explosive incidents has increased in 2021, with 293 explosive incidents recorded from January to the first week of November 2021 as compared to 295 for the whole of 2020.”

The minister lamented that the presence of the explosives was a threat to its resettlement plan.

She said: “For the civilians and communities in war-affected areas of the Northeast, the presence of these weapons represents an ongoing threat. These weapons can also hinder reconstruction and threaten economic livelihood.

“Houses, hospitals and schools cannot be rebuilt until such weapons are cleared. Contaminated land cannot be farmed. EO, most notably improvised explosive devices, causes deaths and severe injuries, impedes access to basic services and socio-economic activities, and hampers safe resettlement and movement of refugees, IDPs and returnees.

“EO results in tragic deaths and injury impedes access to basic services and socio-economic activities and hampers safe resettlement and population movements.

“IEDs; often known as ‘weapons in waiting’ are particularly destructive. The presence of EO prevents safe access to agricultural land (essential for food security), restricts freedom of movement (critical for protection) and hinders early recovery.

On why the committee was constituted, the minister said: “Local communities often have no means of dealing with the problem themselves. Most do not have the technical capacity or the resources to clear explosive remnants of war safely and the resources needed to deal with the psychological, medical and rehabilitative needs of victims.

“For a safe return of our IDPs, and refugees in the northeast, as well as for farming activities to resume, agricultural lands must be surveyed for explosive contamination, and farmers provided with Explosive Ordnance Risk Education.

“It is for this reason, that President Muhammadu Buhari, during the commemoration of World Humanitarian Day 2022, directed the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, to come up with a solution to the threat of explosive ordnance.

“In compliance with that Presidential Directive, to save our citizens in the northeast from the threat of explosive ordinances, I am today inaugurating the National Humanitarian Mine Action Committee.

“It is expected that this Committee will eventually transform into the National Mine Action Centre that will develop the national capacity for Humanitarian Mine Action”.

The committee is headed by a national coordinator, Group Captain Sadeeq Garba Shehu (rtd), Khalifa Muhammad Lawan, Jato Usman Abba, Adeyemu Jimoh Ademola, Abdullahi Usur, Fatima Mamman Daura and an unnamed representative from National Commission for Person with Disabilities.

The minister while charging the committee to be dedicated, added that their commitment will not only save lives but also enable Nigeria to fulfill her obligations under international treaties that require the country to assist victims of explosive ordnance. (The Nation: Text, excluding headline)

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