Communal conflicts in Nigeria: Assessment of the impacts on internally displaced persons and settlements amidst COVID-19 pandemic
Christopher M. Anierobi,
Cletus Onyema Obasi,
Rebecca Ginika Nnamani,
Benjamin Okorie Ajah,
David O. Iloma,
Kingsley O. Efobi,
Chinyere Nwaoga,
Asadu Ngozi,
Uchenna Teresa Okonkwo,
Ekwok Innocent Chigbe
Affiliations
Christopher M. Anierobi
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of the Environmental Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Cletus Onyema Obasi
Department of Religion and Cultural Studies/ Social Sciences Unit, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria; Corresponding author.
Rebecca Ginika Nnamani
Department of Political Science/ Social Sciences Unit, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Benjamin Okorie Ajah
Directorate of Research Innovation Consultancy and Extensions, Main Campus, Kampala International University, P.O. Box, 20000, Kampala, Uganda; Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
David O. Iloma
Department of Sociology/Criminology and Security Studies, Topfaith University, Mkpatak, Nigeria
Kingsley O. Efobi
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of the Environmental Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Chinyere Nwaoga
Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Asadu Ngozi
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Uchenna Teresa Okonkwo
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Ekwok Innocent Chigbe
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Calabar, Nigeria
Acknowledging that violent communal conflicts can lead to increased displacement and overcrowding in IDP camps, this study investigates the impact of such conflicts on internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their camps in Benue State, Nigeria, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a mixed-method approach, 386 IDPs and 20 stakeholders were purposively selected. Based on the research objectives, descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the research objectives. Employing logistics and multi-linear regressions, the data reveal that unregulated access to IDP camps resulted in overcrowding, straining resources like food and shelter. The study identifies economic losses and various challenges stemming from communal conflict and COVID-19, causing chaos, anxiety, and uncertainty in the IDP camps. These findings highlight the urgent need for ongoing humanitarian assistance to alleviate the precarious conditions faced by IDPs and their camps nationwide and recommend that the IDPs camps across the country need constant humanitarian aid to mitigate the various precarious conditions in the camps.
