Nigeria’s oil workers’ union has donated food and household supplies to survivors of the recent deadly assault on Yelewata village in Benue State, where displaced residents remain fearful of further attacks.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) said the delivery a truckload of rice, beans, maize, cooking oil, mattresses, pillows, sanitary pads and other essentials was aimed at easing the suffering of those now sheltering in the Yelewata internally displaced persons (IDP) camp.

“We came to show our solidarity with the good people of Yelewata,” said David Owan, chair of the PENGASSAN Foundation and national treasurer of the union. “We understood what happened and the challenges the people have been going through. Whatever we are bringing today… cannot be enough, but it is meant to bring a little relief, hoping that God will help restore normalcy here in no distant time.”

The attack on Yelewata, in Guma Local Government Area, forced scores of families from their homes. Community leader Julius Gor said the humanitarian needs were immense. “We have more than 50 camps in Benue State put together. Within the diocese where we are, we have up to 10 camps scattered across the affected local government. Some sleep in this church at night. We have more than five million people in IDP camps scattered across the state,” he said.

Gor warned that security remained fragile. “The herders are still feeding their cows in the farms despite efforts to prevent them from destroying crops,” he said, appealing for federal and state authorities to establish police or army barracks in the area.

One of the Catholic priests overseeing the Yelewata camp, Rev. Fr Oguma Jonathan, thanked PENGASSAN for the assistance. He pledged to work with community elders to ensure fair distribution of the supplies.