The Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to declare banditry a humanitarian emergency to enable a coordinated response to the growing displacement crisis in Nigeria’s North-West.

The Programme Officer for Good Governance at Caritas Nigeria, Mr. Jude Akwo, made the call in Sokoto during a one-day Stakeholders’ Policy Dialogue and Research Dissemination Workshop on women, conflict and peacebuilding.

Akwo said an official declaration would attract stronger intervention from federal authorities and international humanitarian organisations, leading to the establishment of properly managed camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in communities ravaged by banditry and terrorism.

According to him, most IDP settlements in the region are informal and lack basic infrastructure and protection, leaving displaced persons, particularly women and children, vulnerable to further abuse.

“The IDP camps are not formal; they are informal settlements. There are cases of secondary abuse in these camps. Women are raped because the camps have no fences, while many displaced families are forced to live in makeshift shelters and uncompleted buildings,” he said.

He urged governments in affected states to acknowledge the scale of the humanitarian crisis caused by insecurity.

“If governments believe they lack the resources to establish proper camps, they should first recognise that banditry and terrorism have created a humanitarian emergency.

“Once that is acknowledged, the type of coordinated humanitarian response implemented in the North-East can be replicated in the North-West. The response should be organised, strategic and sustainable,” Akwo said.

He explained that the workshop formed part of Caritas Nigeria’s Good Governance Programme, which promotes peacebuilding, civic participation, citizen-government engagement and parliamentary liaison.

According to him, the dialogue also disseminated findings from a research project examining the experiences and responses of women affected by armed conflict across North-West states.

Akwo said the study sought to challenge the perception of women solely as victims by highlighting their active contributions to conflict response and community resilience.

“We wanted to move beyond the narrative of female victimhood. Our findings show that women have played significant roles in early warning and early response mechanisms. They have developed community-based strategies to respond to conflict and have cared for children and families whose relatives were kidnapped,” he said.

He noted that women have also organised community savings groups to support victims and, in some cases, raise funds to secure the release of kidnapped relatives.

“These women have built support networks that care for survivors. Through village savings and loan groups, they contribute resources to assist affected families and, in some cases, even raise money to pay ransoms.

“Our findings show that women should be recognised as key actors in addressing banditry and insecurity. They have an important role to play in promoting peace, resolving conflicts and supporting community recovery,” Akwo added.