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On a recent Monday morning at the Ramin Kura Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto State, elderly Mari Yahu sat quietly on the dusty ground. As the morning sunlight illuminated the worry lines on his face, he thought of happier days at home. Before violence brought her to this camp, Mari, like everyone else, had both eyes to see the world and never imagined that this Monday she would live life with only one functioning eye.
Not long after he arrived at the camp, one of his eyes became infected due to the poor environmental conditions. It starts with itching. Mari didn’t think much about it at first but her vision became blurry. He went to the nearest health center but was turned away because he had no money. Without treatment, eye conditions become worse. Now he sees with only one good eye.
“When I arrived at this camp, both my eyes were functioning well, but now I only see with one eye,” he told reporters while remaining hopeful that the bad eye will heal. Without government assistance, he took to the streets to beg. He said the small amount of money he collected was used for food and medicine for his eyes. “I ask on the road to take care of myself, especially my eyes.”
Mari Yahu tells the story of the beginning of his eye disease which ultimately resulted in the loss of his eye. He can now only see out of one eye
Photo: Abdulrasaq Kamaldeen.
Like Mari, many others in the camp face similar struggles. Aliyu Sarkin Fawa, a father of eight, fled bandits in his hometown in Zamfara State, where gunfire and fear have become part of daily life. He thought the violence and suffering had ended after he fled his country, but apparently not. When he arrived at camp in 2025, he had a minor injury to his right leg, but without proper treatment, the injury worsened. When he visited the community health center, his condition did not change because he could not afford the cost of treatment.
Aliyu added that government representatives sometimes visited the clinic for examinations and performed free laboratory tests and x-ray scans but did not provide medication or follow-up care. “There was a time when government officials came here. They examined us but didn’t give us medicine,” he recalled.
Aliyu Sarkin Fawa shows his injured leg
Photo: Abdulrasaq Kamaldeen.
Most of the Ramin Kura camp residents fled fighting in Niger, Zamfara and Sokoto states. The camp was intended as a short-term safe place. For many, these long-term stays are fraught with new health problems, due to lack of access to basic health services. Nigeria has more than 2.7 million internally refugees, that is third largest in Sub-Saharan Africa it lags behind only Congo and Somalia, but conflict continues to exacerbate the crisis.
In 2021, the federal government signed a revised edition of the National Policy on IDPs. The policy states that all injured and disabled refugees must receive free medical treatment. However, this is just a paper theory in the Ramin Kura camp according to residents. Aisha Muhammad Ali, a resident, said that the state government brought in basic medicines such as paracetamol, but the supply was unstable. Therefore, families usually make donations among themselves to seek treatment for the sick person.
For childbirth, the situation is more difficult. “When a woman wants to give birth, we have to take her to the hospital,” explains Aisha. “If we don’t have money, they won’t help. We donate money so pregnant women can give birth.”
Funds Disbursed, Action Failed
Aisha recalled how the recent outbreak of cholera fever and diarrhea hit the Ramin Kura camp, which lasted for almost two weeks and claimed many lives. He said the health center in the camp was turning away patients unless they could afford the cost of treatment. “There is an epidemic here but we don’t get help in hospitals because of money, but the government doesn’t do anything,” he felt confused and said most residents had to turn to herbal medicine, which was ineffective for most patients.
Refugee women sit in the courtyard of the Ramin Kura refugee camp
Photo: Abdulrasaq Kamaldeen.
In Nigeria, Sokoto is one of the most affected states when it comes to herdsmen-allies violence
Over the years, federal and state governments have set aside large amounts of funding for refugee support systems. Most recently, in 2025, the Federal Executive Council (FEC), approved two major external loan facilities worth $396 million to support critical humanitarian and health projects in northern Nigeria. The first facility is a $300 million World Bank credit to support internally displaced persons and host communities in several states in the region, including Sokoto. The second approval is a combined $96 million credit from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), with $50 million and $46 million respectively, allocated to the Sokoto Health Infrastructure Project.
Likewise in 2023, the amount is N50 million allocated by the Sokoto state government for its quick response and financial assistance to victims of communal crisis, war, tornado, airplanes, explosions, forest fires, armed robbery, IDP refugees and returnees. But in 2024, the amount allocated by Sokoto state government for the same purpose reduced to N15 million. Not only that, in the same year 2023, N5 million is allocated for the provision of relief materials to refugees under UNSDPs (Delivery one).
Likewise with the money allocated by 2025 for rapid response and financial assistance to victims of communal crises, war, cyclones, airplanes, explosions, forest fires, armed robbery, refugees and returnees increased to N100,000,000. For the provision of relief materials to refugees under UNSDP (First delivery), N200,000,000 is allocated equally.
Despite the funding provided, many refugees say their conditions have not changed and health services remain difficult to reach as they continue to battle untreated illnesses. Many died. “We have reported to the government, who promised to build a clinic for us, but four months have passed and there have been no results,” said Danlami Ibrahim, one of the camp residents.
Delayed Treatment May Make the Condition Worse
Dr. Reinnet Awoh, a public health doctor, explained the risks of delaying treatment. “The biggest challenge is the delay in treatment,” he said. “Common diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and respiratory infections can quickly become severe in densely populated camps with poor sanitation and limited clean water.” He further suggested clear steps required to overcome these challenges. He said the government should work with non-profit organizations, international institutions, local health officials and community leaders for better coordination. That way, he believes, he can provide free or low-cost care for children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses.
A woman walks around the camp
Photo: Abdulrasaq Kamaldeen.
When faced with evidence that refugees are being forced to crowdsource funds for basic medical treatment, Hon. Maryam Suleiman, Special Adviser to the Governor of Sokoto State on Refugee and Community Affairs, ignores accountability. Despite insisting that the government provide health services, Suleiman normalized the financial burden borne by vulnerable groups, comparing the suffering of refugees to everyday family expenses.
“No one is preventing refugees from accessing health services,” he said, downplaying the crisis. “Donating money to buy medicine to cure illnesses is a normal thing for us [also] do that in our family. [But] the government is trying to provide them with the necessary health services.”
Life in the Ramin Kura camp shows both hardship and strength as families become more vulnerable to deadly health conditions while the government fails to address these hardships. Until such improvements are achieved, Ramin Kura camp residents hope to continue their collective efforts to address their problems, by sharing what they have, while also calling on the government to take action.
That Monday, this reporter left Mari, who was still sitting at the deployment place, thinking, perhaps about her home or more precisely about her happy days in the camp when her eyes were still working. At the camp entrance, several small vendors were busy making local Hausa pastries. Kuli-kuli – peanut cakes – are still sizzling in cooking oil. From behind, happy little kids were chatting with representatives of certain non-profit organizations who occasionally visited them. And just like that, our reporter waved goodbye to Mari.
By Abdulrasaq Kamaldeen
