Interrogating internal displacement of women and children due to insecurity in Bokkos, Barkin-Ladi and Mangu Local Government Areas, Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

The objective formulated to guide this study is to find out the state of the living conditions and to determine the surviving strategies adopted by Internally Displaced Persons-IDPs as coping mechanisms with livelihood in Bokkos, Barkin-Ladi and Mangu Local Government Areas, of Plateau State, Nigeria. The study considered the use of qualitative means of eliciting relevant data through the use of KII and FGD with the IDPs, government officials, and some critical leaders of thought. Participants were selected from some of the villages in the affected LGAs, and the data obtained was analyzed using Quality Data Management-QDM software as a basic tool. This is relevant because the interest of the study is about IDPs in the study area, mainly women and children. Indeed, these persons have to go through a lot of humanitarian crisis: food insecurity, gender abuse, shelter problems, stigmatisation, and difficulty getting quality education, healthcare services, amongst others. The study finds out that the restoration of peace is key to the study area before any meaningful development would take place. The study therefore advises that government should be proactive in carrying out its primary responsibility of securing the life and properties of its people. It is again recommended that Penology on the treatment of offenders should be enhanced in line with extant laws to serve as deterrent to offenders for the violations of laws on the displacement of persons to ensure physical and human security, a just society, peaceful co-existence, national unity, prosperity and sustainable development. The study also impresses on the fact that Government should motivate the affected LGAs to always be on the lookout to provide credible and reliable intelligence reports to security agencies to assist in tackling down any security breach among others.